Mystery Stroke-Like Illness Strikes Georgia Mother After Day At Pool With Daughters

A mother from Atlanta, Georgia, began feeling ill after a day at the pool with her two daughters. The woman, Stefanie Ballard, spent the day at the pool with her two young daughters but developed a fever later in the day and went to bed.

Upon waking, Stefanie’s husband, Pete, knew something wasn’t right. The mother-of-two was having chills, headaches, nausea, and then started losing muscle control and actually had a fall in the home. Following the strange symptoms, Stephanie was taken to the Piedmont Hospital where she proceeded to suffer from a series of “stroke-like” symptoms such as loss of muscle control in one-side of her body. However, doctors say Stephanie did not suffer from a stroke, and they are baffled by what is causing her mysterious illness.

My Fox Atlanta reports that Stephanie Ballard had a fun day at the pool with her daughters before returning home with a fever. The woman went to bed to sleep off the illness but woke up the next day with a variety of new symptoms that ended up sending her to the local hospital. At the hospital, Stephanie experienced “stroke-like” symptoms, including swelling and paralysis on the right side of her body for eight days. After physical therapy, she gain control over the right side of her body, but the symptoms struck again, this time on the left side.

Doctors are baffled at what could be causing the mysterious illness in the Georgia mother as they have ruled out a stroke as the cause of concern. Stephanie’s husband says that doctors are still trying to figure out what is going wrong, but they still have no answers.

“They’re trying to figure out what’s gone wrong with her. Her immune system is confused and actually attacking her brain confusing it for a virus or some other kind of thing that needs to be fought.”

With brain scans unable to pinpoint the problem, doctors performed a brain biopsy that they say will determine the cause of the strange symptoms in the previous healthy mother. Doctors expect to have the biopsy results back in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the community is banding together to help the Ballard family with mounting medical bills and stress. A GoFundMe account and garage sale were set up by friends to raise funds to help pay for the expensive medical treatments needed by Stephanie. The friends note that with so much changing on the day-to-day basis, the least they can do is be there for support.

“Her story is sort of changing every day and it’s the most we can do is be there to support.”

[Image Credit: Facebook/GoFundMe]