Doctor: Kali Hardig released from ICU, beginning months of rehab
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By Justin Lewis, Reporter
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) -
Doctors at Arkansas Children's Hospital say a young girl suffering from a rare form of meningitis will be only the third person to survive out of 128 diagnosed.
We've been following the story of Kali Hardig since its believed she acquired the bacteria from a central Arkansas water park three weeks ago.
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"The amoeba will actually eat away at the tissue; it literally eats the tissues," said Dr. Mark Heulitt. "It is a severe form of meningitis where your brain will be eaten by the amoeba."
Dr. Heulitt is one of Kali's doctors at ACH. He said an experimental drug from Germany is playing a crucial role in Kali's survival, along with the timing of her seeing a doctor, even before she made it to ACH.
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There is another child who's recently in another children's hospital who they think has naegleria, so the Center for Disease Control directed the hospital to contact us," he continued
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Officials with the ADH say it is the second case of the rare illness from the same water park in the past three years. The other victim, a 7 year old boy died in 2010. ...
