Hazelwood teen fights West Nile virus for over two weeks

HAZELWOOD, Mo. – An 18-year-old from Hazelwood has been hospitalized for 16 days as he undergoes treatment for the West Nile virus. John Procter VI, known as BB to his family and friends, had big plans after graduation. He wanted to join the National Guard and spend time with his friends, but BB’s plans came crashing down on August 8.

“He said he had a headache. We took him to urgent care because he said it was also accompanied with dizziness,” John Procter V, his father, said. “They said he had an attention headache and was dehydrated. So, they sent him home.”

Later that night, BB got worse, and, over the next three days, he was in and out of the hospital.

“They thought he had meningitis, so they did some tests for that. It came back negative. Sent him home and said to give him over-the-counter medicine. The following day, he had stroke-like symptoms,” Procter said. “Unable to move and speech was real slurred. So, we took him to MoBap and they admitted him to the ICU and immediately put him on a ventilator.”

Twenty doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with BB, so they sent him to BJC. Sixteen days after the first symptom, doctors finally diagnosed him with West Nile virus.

“He has limited mobility, especially on his left side,” his father said. “He can’t support his weight; he can’t support his own head.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been 289 reported cases of West Nile across 33 states so far this year. In Missouri, BB is one of four cases.

“I didn’t even know about it really, but now that my son has it, I’ve kind of been looking on the internet and seeing it popping up in places, especially in the local St. Louis County area,” Procter said.

BB’s long road to recovery includes physical therapy and breathing rehab. Procter hopes sharing BB’s story will help another family.

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