Naples man recovers from rare medical condition Guillain-Barré syndrome

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Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare and urgent medical condition, affects fewer than 20,000 people in the U.S. each year.

The syndrome causes the body’s immune system to attack the nerves, leading to sudden paralysis.

In August, Naples resident Ross Varacalli experienced a sudden attack of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

In August, Ross, a healthy husband and father, was rushed to NCH in distress. Within hours, he was unable to move or breathe. Days later, he required a ventilator and feeding tube.

Carla Varacalli, his wife, said that Guillain-Barré affected his brain.

“And we found out that he had Guillain-Barré, which attacks the nerve sheath, so his brain was fully functioning, but it wasn’t sending the signals to his body,” said Carla.

Dr. David Lindner, a pulmonologist at NCH, explained that the syndrome often occurs following post-viral events.

“They found trace amounts of West Nile in his body,” said Lindner. “He is outside on football fields. He had an auto-immune response.”

Testing revealed trace amounts of West Nile virus in Ross’s body, which he likely contracted from a mosquito bite while coaching football. This led to an autoimmune response.

The impact was severe. Recovery from Guillain-Barré typically takes a year, but Ross’ recovery has been extraordinary.

“I was paralyzed, but I never lost my mental capacity,” said Ross. “I was kind of trapped in my own body.”

Ross returned home in less than five months and continues to gain strength with physical therapy.

“I was able to use my walker to get out of the car and walk from our car to the front door,” said Ross.

Ross credits his wife, four kids, and a higher power for his recovery.

“I definitely believe in the power of prayer because we had people praying over him constantly,” said Carla.

“I honestly believe that God has put me on an accelerated path to getting back to normal,” said Ross.

As Ross Varacalli was recovering, his wife, Carla, faced her own health crisis and was hospitalized. Now, the family is together and healing.

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