Ronny Echeverri

First post: Feb 12, 2016 Latest post: Jan 25, 2018
On January 24, 2016, Ronny was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and admitted to the ICU at Kaiser Santa Clara.  It is an understatement when I say that it has been a really difficult time for Ronny, and for his family.

UPDATE: After 5 weeks in the ICU at Kaiser Santa Clara, 100 days at Kindred Transitional nursing care home, and 3 weeks at Kaiser Vallejo acute rehab, Ron was finally able to come home on July 1, 2016! It's so good to be home!

PLEASE NOTE:  Ron still really enjoys seeing visitors, and we encourage people to come and visit.  Please contact Kimberly directly. THANK YOU.

Per Ronny's request, we have not posted information about his illness on Facebook or other public social networking sites. We ask that you respect his wishes to not have information about his health discussed on an open forum. With the help of my daughter, Rachel (Thank You Rachel!) I've set up this website to make it easier to give updates on Ronny's condition, and to have a more private forum for sharing information about Ronny's condition. It will also give family and friends an opportunity to share their thoughts, feelings, and well wishes for Ronny's recovery.

UPDATE: Ron wen't public on Livejournal and Facebook on July 23, 2016.  So there's no longer a need for strict confidentiality.  Thank you to everyone who respected Ron's wishes!

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nervous system. The first symptoms of this disorder includes varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs and arms. These symptoms can increase in intensity until certain muscles cannot be used at all and, when severe, the person is totally paralyzed. In Ronny's case, the symptoms started on Saturday night with some double vision. Then his legs and arms were effected with weakness and tingling. By Tuesday he was almost completely paralyzed and on a respirator to help him breath. Without the help of modern medical technology, he would not have made it.

GBS can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and unexpected onset. Most people reach the stage of greatest weakness within the first 2 weeks after symptoms appear, and by the third week of the illness 90 percent of all patients are at their weakest. The prognosis for GBS is good, as most people recover from it. Though the recovery can be very slow, most recover fully within 6 months of onset.

If you would like to read more about Guillan-Barré syndrome, here are some useful websites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain%E2%80%93Barr%C3%A9_syndrome
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/detail_gbs.htm
http://www.gbs-cidp.org/gbs/

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