A 29-year-old Michigan chef died last week after battling a rare fungal disease that damaged his lungs.
Some time before Thanksgiving, Ian Pritchard contracted blastomycosis, a fungal disease that targets and weakens his respiratory system.
“They showed us a picture of his lungs, and they really looked like Swiss cheese,” his father, Ron Pritchard, told UpNorthLive in December.
Pritchard was taken off life support Saturday at a Detroit hospital, according to a GoFundMe page that raised nearly $20,000 for his family.
“A Blastomycosis fungal infection destroyed Ian’s lungs beyond repair,” the page read.
A Michigan chef died last week after contracting a rare fungal disease. Ian Pritchard/Facebook
In people with weakened immune systems, the infection will spread from the lungs to the central nervous system along with the skin and joints, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Research from 2005 found that between 4% and 22% of infected people die from blastomycosis.
People contract the disease by inhaling the spores of the blastomyces fungus, which lives in moist soil and decaying wood and leaves found in the Midwest and South.
“It’s in the air, it’s in the trees, it’s in the wet leaves, it’s in the soil, it’s in the mud, it’s inside, everywhere. Everywhere north of Michigan – actually, the Midwest – is covered [blastomyces],” Pritchard warned.
The infection usually develops within two to 15 weeks.
About half of the patients will experience symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, and muscle pain.
While there is no cure, the disease is treated with antifungal drugs like Itraconazole — Pritchard said her son’s medication costs about $7,000 a month.
Ian Pritchard was hospitalized for weeks. Ian Pritchard/Facebook
Now, the Pritchard family is shocked by their sudden loss.
“He’s a good kid. He didn’t get into much trouble, he didn’t have any problems growing up,” added the grieving father. “People love his food, people love him.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
