A 20-year-old college student is speaking out just one month after contracting a rare autoimmune disease on June 5that left her paralyzed three days into her Spain vacation.
Kara Dunn, who studies physiology at the University of Arizona, was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome,Tucson News Nowreported at the time.
The conditioncauses the body’s immune system to attack the nerves, and begins with weakness and tingling in the extremities, according to the Mayo Clinic. The syndrome’s cause is unknown, however, it often follows an infectious illness.
During a press conferenceat Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday — where Dunn was medically airlifted to on June 15 — she spoke out for the first time since news of her condition spread.
“It was the most terrifying two weeks of my life,” said Dunn, who had been traveling across Spain with a friend when she fell ill on June 3. “I was unable to speak or move, and the doctors weren’t sure I would survive.”
According to theArizona Republic,Dunn felt herself being intubated and when she heard doctors say that she might have Guillain-Barré Syndrome, “my heart sunk.”
That’s because Dunn knew what the rare syndrome was. While working as a medical scribe in Tucson, Arizona, Dunn knew of a patient who had the condition and was given a grim prognosis, theRepublicreported.
“I laid there. Paralyzed. Unable to talk and thinking that I would never be able to walk again,” she said, according to the news outlet.
“We wanted to bring Kara home as soon as possible, but we first needed to make sure she would be transferred to the hospital most experienced in treating neurological conditions,” her brother, Ryan Dunn, said at the press conference, according to the hospital’s release. “We contacted Barrow, and they helped us make the arrangements for her to receive care at the renowned institute.”
After Dunn arrived at the hospital, she began intensive neuro-rehabilitation and soon after regained movement, Barrow Neurological Institute said. Later this week, she will be discharged from the hospital.
“Kara is having an amazing recovery,” said Dr. Kwasnica, who is the medical director of theNeuro-Rehabilitation Center. “I expect her to make a full recovery but she will have to continue working hard to be ready for school this fall.”
Dunn said she “will never be able to thank everyone adequately for the love and support they have shown me throughout this experience.”
She’s “incredibly appreciative” for the medical team who “got me back on my feet and helped me make a relatively quick recovery.”
source: people.com
