Support Isaac's Fight Against Autoimmune Encephalitis

My name is Ralph Placencia. I am writing to humbly ask for your help. About a month ago, my 2 year old grandson Isaac who was otherwise a perfectly healthy child, suffered a medical emergency. On December 30th, Isaac was running a bit of a fever. At which time he was taken to the nearby urgent care and was sent home with antibiotics for an ear infection. The following day he was still running a higher fever and was behaving in a lethargic manner. At which point he was taken to the ER. They kept him for a few hours for observation but ultimately, they said he had some sort of virus. No mention of an ear infection. At about 9:30 am on New Years Day, he suffered a seizure which lasted about 20 minutes and became unresponsive to any kind of stimulation. He was taken straight to the PICU. At which time he was diagnosed with meningitis/encephalitis. The following week, he was given seizure and anti-viral medications which he did not respond well to, and he was still having seizures. Then, suddenly, on January 8th, he woke up smiling and interacting. The doctors were shocked at how he suddenly woke up and was responding the way he did. Unfortunately, an MRI revealed that he suffered some permanent brain damage in the part of his brain that controls his short-term memory. Then on the 24th, they noticed he was digressing and was very irritable. He began showing some of the same symptoms as early on in his diagnosis. By that Sunday, he was back in the PICU and was completely lethargic again. They ran multiple tests and discovered that he now has autoimmune encephalitis. His own immune system is attacking his healthy brain cells. A parent’s worst nightmare! They put him on an aggressive steroid treatment for a week. Right now, his body is resting a bit until they start a treatment called Rituximab that will suppress his immune system significantly with the hopes of reducing the swelling in his brain. However, this puts him in great risk of getting sick often. This is a treatment that he will need to have once a month for at least the next few years. This will be a very long healing process. My grandson Isaac has gone from an energetic, funny, loving young boy who loves to dance and play with his dinosaur toys and who really loves his family especially his 6 year old brother to now, just lying in a hospital bed for over a month not responding to anything at all, connected to machinery and at the mercy of the doctors and medication. During this difficult and immensely stressful time, I humbly ask that you consider donating to Issac and his road to recovery. Issac and my family truly appreciate and thank you for taking the time to read this and for your donations.