West Nile Virus survivor shares traumatic experience as more cases reported in North Texas

By Marvin Hurst

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    DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — As more West Nile Virus cases are being reported in North Texas, a 15-year survivor of the severe neuroinvasive form of the virus is sharing his harrowing experience from late August 2009.

“I was on the porch in 2009 with my son, and the mosquitoes were so bad,” Sean Lemoine said. “So come on, boy. Let’s go inside.”

By Sept. 1, 2009, Lemoine’s condition had worsened significantly.

“By about the eighth day, meningitis had set in. And so I was blacking out,” Lemoine said. “My eyes were going in and out of focus and stuff like that. So we went to the emergency room to try to figure it out. Last thing I remember them saying is it’s not a brain tumor, but we’re going to do a spinal tap.”

Lemoine, now 51, said he blacked out for three weeks and was paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator. He described the pain as “terrible” due to the demyelination effect of the virus.

The attorney’s voice has not been the same since the incident, with a frozen vocal cord and other lasting impacts on his body.

“I have an asymmetric weakness. I can probably lift about 25 pounds,” Lemoine said. “My right leg doesn’t work correctly, paralyzed. It’s called diaphragmatic paralysis. On the right side of my diaphragm doesn’t work at all.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 45 victims nationwide with either form of the disease, including 24 neuroinvasive cases in 19 states. A CDC map shows Texas as one of three states with the highest numbers.

Lemoine is preparing for another speech with Dallas County on Aug. 2 about the West Nile Virus.

Meanwhile, a North Dallas man has been diagnosed with the first human case of West Nile Virus this summer, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services. The patient, who lives in the 75230 zip code, has the less severe, non-neuroinvasive form of the disease known as West Nile fever.

Garland Health officials reported that two victims had recovered from West Nile fever, including one international traveler. Additionally, Denton County confirmed a positive case in Sanger.

Municipalities are routinely spraying for mosquitoes. Farmers Branch will conduct spraying on Wednesday and Thursday nights after 10 p.m.

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