8-Year-Old Paralyzed By Rare Disease Recovering Slowly
Grosse Ile, Mich. (WWJ) - An eight-year-old Grosse Ile boy is still re-learning to walk after he was paralyzed by a rare disease.
Landon Johnson couldn't walk after the antibodies his body created to fight a common childhood virus began attacking his spine. Landon's dad, Andrew, says his son has not yet been able to return to school full time. He suffered a setback shortly after he was released from the hospital.
"He's still working on, like, finger dexterity, you know, strengthen his hands -- he used to work with putty and buttons and putting coins in a bank," Johnson said. "And, he's still working on his legs, but ... he's really made some great leaps and bounds; I mean, no pun intended."
Although rare, Children's Hospital sees several cases of Transverse Myelitis each year; some that start with something as simple as the common cold.
