According to a story from wtae.com, doctors didn’t think that 11-year-old Bryson Ackermann would be able to return to playing baseball after he was diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare disease. He was diagnosed with the illness when he was six years old, and the disease left him paralyzed from neck to waist. It was only a matter of days until much of Bryson’s mobility was gone.
About Acute Flaccid Myelitis
Acute flaccid myelitis is a condition that has only recently become known to science, and there is still a lot about it that remains unknown. This neurological disease can cause sudden symptoms, the most distinct of which is localized paralysis or weakness in the limbs. Scientists believe that this disease is most likely caused by infection of enterovirus 68. This virus is a close relative of poliovirus, which is the cause of polio and further suggests similarities between these illnesses. Symptoms include acute limb paralysis, pain in the neck, limbs, or back, gray matter lesions (on MRI), difficulty breathing, and increased white blood cell count (suggesting inflammation or infection). There are currently no known treatments for acute flaccid myelitis; immune system altering drugs as well as other medications and procedures have been attempted, but none have seemed to have any effect. To learn more about acute flaccid myelitis, click here.
Bryson’s Story
The paralysis was so severe that Bryson couldn’t swallow or breathe on his own. Needless to say, he was hospitalized for a long time: 100 days. Slowly, the boy began to regain his mobility and could start speaking, swallowing, and moving again. However, his left arm didn’t recover as much as his right arm did.
That didn’t stop Bryson from wanting to get back into baseball. He plays as a pitcher and first baseman, and he’s been training himself to pitch and catch with the same hand.
“Kind of like opening up a new chapter in your life, you know,” the boy says.
“The game gets harder as you get older, and he’s still hanging in there.” – Jeff Ackermann, Bryson’s father
