An Arizona man is paralyzed after contracting West Nile virus that has left him hospitalized for more than a week.
Gary Bushko of Peoria is unable to move his hands or arm, he cannot speak or swallow himself. His wife Jennifer tells ABC15 that it has been a nightmare to get a diagnosis.
Bushko was rushed to a hospital last week at a hospital in Glendale, where he spent several days in the ICU before being transferred to a cardiac floor after doctors believed he had had a stroke.
Days later, doctors were able to determine that Bushko tested positive for West Nile virus.
🧵 WEST NILE: Gary Bushko, Arizona, has tested positive for West Nile.
Gary is now paralyzed, unable to walk / talk, is plugged into a feeding tube and the infectious disease doctor told his wife it is the worst he has seen in a decade.
No care or treatment. Family ISO resources / 1 pic.twitter.com/ObadDPIOEh
– Nicole Grigg (@NicoleSGrigg) September 3, 2021
Bushko, who is now retired, is just over a year away from being eligible for Medicare, so that means he has no health insurance at the moment.
“I need someone to take him for his rehabilitation, I mean I need someone with a heart who just takes him to get him back, so he can get stronger, come home, because he has the will to fight,” he said. Jennifer.
The couple just celebrated their sixth birthday while Bushko was in the hospital.
Jennifer has been calling different rehab centers to find a pro bono location, but because COVID-19 beds are limited, “this is so rare that we need help.”
Bushko’s long-term recovery is unclear, as doctors have told them it could take six to two years.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the virus can cause serious neurological infections, including inflammation of the brain in less than a percentage of people.
The Mayo Clinic says the signs and symptoms of neurological infections include:
- High fever
- Intense headache
- Stiff neck
- Disorientation or confusion
- Coma
- Tremors or muscle tremors
- Seizures
- Partial paralysis or muscle weakness
- Loss of vision
- Asleep
A fundraiser on social media says Bushko worked at Xerox for three decades before retiring.
“Because the WNV is very little studied and there is no vaccine / no treatment, the doctor estimates that he will recover at least 6 months to 2 years (with an unknown result); so the only way to act (beyond a feeding and hydration tube) is to get Gary into a rehab center that can help him on the long journey of working with the central nervous system and the paralyzed brain, learning to speak again, swallowing, walking, using the bathroom, increases strength and slowly regains its physical functionality, “says the publication.
This week, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health announced the first death for West Nile and say they have seen a “significant increase” in the number of cases since last year.
The county Department of Environmental Services tests mosquitoes across the county on a weekly basis, and as of Thursday, there were 377 positive samples for the West Nile.
There are also 38 known cases of West Nile in Maricopa County.
Environmental services have hundreds of mosquito traps throughout the county that monitor mosquitoes, and this helps determine areas to deal with a large number of mosquitoes.
Click here to see if there are any traps to try near you.
To contact the mosquito information line, visit https://www.maricopa.gov/2423/Fight-the-Bite or call (602) 506-0700