Connecticut father dies after a mosquito bite in his backyard led to a hellish five-year battle with a rare brain disease
A father has died after a five-year battle with the mosquito-borne virus Eastern equine encephalitis, which he contracted in his own backyard.
Richard Pawuski, 49, a health-conscious man who never drank alcohol, was cleaning up the wooded area behind his home in Colchester, Connecticut, in August 2019 when he was bitten.
He didn’t feel it at the time, but days later he noticed a new red bump and started having a severe headache and vomiting yellow bile.
What followed was a years-long battle during which the virus spread to his brain and left Mr Pawuski in a coma.
Richard Pawuski, 49, has died after a five-year battle with eastern equine encephalitis. He is pictured above with his wife Malgorzata and daughter Amelia
Mr Pawuski is pictured above in hospital. He fought the infection that had spread to his brain for five years
He died early Monday this week New York Post reported seven days after hospice admission.
His cause of death was listed as an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection that proved too difficult to treat in addition to his other Triple E conditions, including a bacterial infection in his heart, a deteriorating liver and a traumatic brain injury.
Triple E targets the nervous system, but long-term infections can also weaken the immune system because it can become overworked.
His daughter Amelia, 18, told the Post: “I’m not kidding when I say your life can change in the blink of an eye because that’s what happened to us.”
In January 2020, Mr Pawuski – who worked as a personal trainer – described his infection as “going through hell” and said he “wouldn’t wish this on anyone”.
His death comes as Triple E cases in the US reach a four-year high, with 16 cases recorded this year – mainly in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. About 33 percent of patients who become seriously ill die from the infection.
Scientists say this is caused by warmer temperatures that speed up the life cycle of mosquitoes and allow them to spread to new areas.
At least two people have died from the infection this year, including a 41-year-old New Hampshire man who died after a week-long battle with the disease.
Residents of parts of Massachusetts went into voluntary lockdown after dark due to the virus in August this year, while New York state issued an “imminent health threat” warning for Ulster County in September.
Mr. Pawuski, who immigrated to the U.S. from Poland, was a tee-totaler who never drank alcohol, a cancer survivor and a diabetic.
Mr. Pawuski said in a 2020 interview that the infection was like “going through hell” and said he “wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
At the time he was bitten, he and his wife – who emigrated to the US from Poland – had just bought their first home in Colchester and were enjoying their first summer with a pool in their backyard.
After he was admitted in August 2019, doctors initially performed surgery on his skull to relieve pressure on his brain, which had become swollen and inflamed due to the infection.
Mr. Pawuski died early Monday morning
Complications during this operation led to him being in a coma for two months, with the family advised that he would not recover.
However, after they agreed and transferred him to a hospice and arranged a funeral, Mr. Pawuski suddenly woke up and started talking again.
In late 2019, Mr Pawuski stuck out his tongue when his mother asked him to – indicating he could understand her but could not speak.
In January 2020, he would call his wife Malgorzata every evening and have conversations with his daughter in a soft and low voice.
His family even said he managed to get back on his feet after physical therapy, he reports Boston.com at the time, which was the first time since he was hospitalized.
But his health changed again and what followed were years of being repeatedly transferred between hospitals and nursing homes, losing consciousness again and again.
The chart above shows Triple E cases in the US by year since 2003. According to the CDC, 16 cases have been recorded so far this year, or a four-year high
This map shows where cases have been reported in 2024, with a cluster of infections in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
The above shows a breakdown of patients diagnosed with Triple E by gender and age group
He also battled a traumatic brain injury, liver and kidney complications, seizures and routine pneumonia.
Just before his death this week, his daughter revealed that he remained lucid enough to tell his family he loved them.
Doctors say most patients infected with Triple E develop no symptoms or show only mild signs, such as fever or muscle aches.
In rare and more severe cases, symptoms appear four to ten days after the mosquito bite and cause an illness similar to the flu.
The virus attacks the central nervous system, meaning patients may also experience brain swelling and symptoms such as confusion and seizures.
There is no cure for an infection; doctors instead combat the disease through bed rest, drinking fluids and over-the-counter painkillers.
About 33 percent of patients who become seriously ill die from the disease.
Mosquitoes often become infected with Triple E after sucking the blood of an infected bird. They then pass the virus on to humans when they bite them too.