Support Nihit's Fight for Recovery

Nihit Rawal, beloved friend, devoted husband, caring brother, son and cherished family member. While visiting his family in his home country of India for the first time in seven years he contracted a mosquito-borne viral disease. Amidst his struggle with symptoms, he developed encephalitis. He has been unexpectedly and tragically forced on a long and uncertain road to recovery. We are asking for financial help in this difficult time. Without medical insurance or income, Nihit and his family now face an enormous financial burden.

Within 48 hours of returning home to New York, Nihit developed a fever. His fever worsened over the course of the following days. After a visit to urgent care, Nihit and Jess, his wife, were sent home to treat the fever with ibuprofen. The fever increased throughout the night, and by early morning on Friday, he was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital. While in the emergency room, his health quickly deteriorated, and he suffered from symptoms of delirium. He was admitted later that night.

Saturday morning, Nihit experienced a seizure and was transferred to the intensive care unit. From there, he was intubated and placed in an induced coma where he underwent many tests, including an MRI and two spinal taps.

On Tuesday, December 10th, against all odds, Nihit woke up through sedation on his own. Throughout the day, the nurses gradually reduced his sedatives to monitor his symptoms. Nihit's responses were incredible, given his circumstances, so by early afternoon, they were able to remove him entirely from life support.

Wednesday, December 11th, Nihit has made a lot of progress. His health still faces a lot of uncertainty. Due to brain swelling and lesions, he will have a long road to recovery. Nihit has been transferred from the intensive care unit to neurology intensive care recovery, where he will spend the coming days/weeks. The goal of his medical team has been to keep Nihit as comfortable as possible until a prognosis is made.

Nihit has so much life left and is loved by so many. As a valued member of the Westhampton business community, Nihit manages Pickleball & Tennis At The Barn, a local tennis club where he oversees his own academy providing instruction and coaching in both sports. He is highly regarded and respected by both his clients and colleagues. We have created this fundraiser to provide practical and emotional support during this incredibly challenging time. The funds raised will help alleviate the financial burden of Nihit's medical expenses, potential therapy, and other unforeseen costs allowing Nihit and his family to focus on his recovery without the added stress of financial worries.

Your donations, prayers, and words of encouragement mean the world to Nihit, his family and friends. Please share this fundraiser with others who may want to help. Updates will be shared here as we learn more about Nihit's progress.

My name is Brianna and my siblings and I created this GoFundMe to support Jessica, our sister, and her husband, Nihit, with the financial burden of his medical care. Jessica is the beneficiary of this fundraiser and will use the donations to cover Nihit's medical expenses, such as hospital stays, tests, medications, in-home care, outpatient visits and other ongoing care needs as bills are processed in the coming months.

Thank you for standing with the Rawal family in this time of need.