(WKMG) ORLANDO, Fla. - A 16-year-old boy who contracted a brain-eating amoeba in South Florida before doctors in Orlando diagnosed him was called a "miracle" as he prepared to leave the hospital.
Sebastian DeLeon, who contracted Naegleria fowleri in Broward County earlier this month, was taken to Florida Hospital Orlando on Aug. 7 after he developed an intense headache while on vacation with his family at a Central Florida theme park.
"An intense headache so severe that he couldn't tolerate people touching him," said Dr. Humberto Liriano, critical care physician at Florida Hospital for Children, at a press conference Tuesday morning. "They tested the spinal fluid and it came back positive for what we call the amoeba."