Help Caleb Recover From Encephalitis

I am raising funds for my cousin’s son, nine-year-old Caleb McCaffrey, who has encephalitis and will be hospitalized for several weeks. He has inflammation in his brain, which caused acute visual and auditory hallucinations last weekend. This type of encephalitis is difficult to spot, and it is very rare that a child his age develops it. Caleb's mom, Tara, has been struggling to pay her own medical bills during her ongoing battle with leukemia. With the family now facing even more medical debt, I am raising funds to help offset the cost of Caleb’s recovery.

 

Caleb had recently complained of vision problems, joint pain, and extreme tiredness, causing him to miss school and prompting visits to many doctors. He was thought to possibly have the flu, COVID, pneumonia, and various other things during this time. On February 19 Caleb woke up with a fever and didn’t look like himself. He seemed to be detached from reality and suffered from severe hallucinations. He was taken to Sarasota Memorial via ambulance and eventually transferred to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he underwent extensive testing to figure out what was going on. The next night he was finally diagnosed with a rare type of encephalitis. He will need to be hospitalized for several more weeks as he is treated with antibiotics and monitored around the clock. Tara asks for prayers for Caleb.