Kali Hardig Miraculously Survives Deadly Brain Eating Amoeba [VIDEO]; Starts School Next Week After Being In ICU 22 Days; "It Was Like Riding A Rollercoaster"

Kali Hardig survived a brain eating amoeba infection and is going to start school next week.  Brain eating amoeba Naegleria Fowleri is nearly always fatal, but Kali Hardig beat the odds and survived thanks to aggressive treatment.

Kali's mom Traci Hardig said: "We decided that we were just going to tell (Kali) she was very sick, and she had to fight like Mom does because Mom has been battling cancer.  And then we were going to ask everybody to pray for her."

"It was a long haul. We were in ICU for 22 days.  It was like riding a rollercoaster -- I mean, one moment things would be going good, and then the next moment something else could happen."

Parasitic meningitis is caused by Naegleria Fowleri, an amoeba that is found primarily in hot springs and other warm sources of water in the southeastern United States.  It enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain; it cannot infect someone just through drinking water.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control, first symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis appear one to seven days after infection and include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and a stiff neck.

According to the CDC, later symptoms of amoebic miningoencephalitis can include confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations.  The disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within one to 12 days.  Kali Hardig was extremely lucky to survive; another child recently contracted the amoeba and died. 32 cases of the brain eating amoeba have bee reported between 2001 and 2010.

One of the things that may have made a difference in the case of Kali Hardig's brain amoeba treatment was how quickly Kali was brought to the hospital.  Traci Hardig told CNN: "If you believe that there's something more wrong with your daughter or your son than a simple virus or stomach flu, stay in there, hang in there. Talk to the doctor... and reassure them that this is not a normal illness."

Kali recieved aggressive treatment for her brain eating amoeba infection, including anti-fungal medicine, antibiotics and a new experimental anti-amoeba drug doctors got directly from the CDC.  Doctors also reduced her temperature to 93 degrees, a technique used to prevent brain damage.
Watch Kali Hardig Video Here: