Valley fever: Student diagnosed with rare disease fighting for his life

Man fighting valley fever at Mayo Clinic

A man who moved to Arizona for school is now fighting for his life after developing a rare form of Valley Fever. 

PHOENIX - A 21-year-old student visiting Arizona for school faces a grueling recovery after contracting a rare fungal infection.

What we know:

Kaha Kelau came from Hawaii to Arizona for a brief time to study mechanics. But he left with a paralyzing illness upon returning to Hawaii, developing severe headaches and neck pain that progressively got worse. 

"This started as just a headache, no cough, no fever no signs that nothing else was wrong," his mother Laura said. 

Health officials said following several months of testing, he was diagnosed with valley fever that had spread to his brain.

"Never even heard of valley fever before getting a diagnosis of it," Laura said. "They weren't even looking for valley fever. It wasn't on anyone's radar."

According to the family's GoFundMe page, the patient was airlifted to Mayo Hospital, the only place equipped to inject anti-fungal medication directly into his brain. He suffered several seizures and a small stroke, and was placed into an induced coma to control the brain swelling. 

Dig deeper:

Mayo doctors said spores spread to his brain, similar to another valley fever patient at the clinic. 

While Kelau fights through stroke recovery, researchers at Mayo are fighting to ensure other families don’t face the same delays. 

"Now he's able to follow some commands," Dr. Marie Grill said. "He's been able to spell out, 'I love you mom,' to his mom, and so those are really remarkable steps."

Dr. Thomas Grys is finalizing the world’s first rapid blood test for valley fever, set for release later this year.

"I can't tell you how many times doctors prepared US for the worst," Laura said. 

After 136 days in the ICU, he is relearning how to move. Kelau's family says he’s fighting every step of the way to get back to the life he once knew.

"The strength that this kid has is just amazing," his mom said. "On days when I want to give up, I can't, because I look at him and I see him continuing to fight."

What you can do:

The patient has a GoFundMe set up to help cover medical bills and travel costs.