27-year-old Kiley Lane leaves behind a daughter of two years — the tragic ending to a prolonged battle with the vicious hantavirus.
When Lane first grew ill in January, she assumed it was just a terrible flu. Her husband Kevin urged her to get tested as her symptoms worsened, with nausea and stabbing pain in her stomach. But it was not until February and several diagnoses later that she was discovered to be carrying the hantavirus.
Hantavirus is a deadly disease, most often contracted from deer mice urine or feces. It is an exceptionally rare diagnosis, with only a little more than 700 cases recorded across 36 states in the U.S. More than one-third of the people who contract it die, and Lane was tragically added to its list of victims on April 20.
Lane’s struggles were posted on a YouCaring fundraising site created to help her family with the burden of this sudden expense. For a while, her loved ones were hopeful that treatments including the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine would allow her to pull through. However, even the forefront of modern medicine was unable to save her life.
But her family still needs help — perhaps now more than ever. They are within mere hundreds of dollars of their $50,000 goal. You can visit their YouCaring page if you are inclined to make a difference. From the last update to that page:
Kiley Rianna Terrell Lane left this world and joined her Heavenly Father peacefully on April 18th surrounded by her loving husband, mother, sister, and family. Kiley courageously fought a battle to survive a deadly virus for weeks at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. Kiley and the family have been comforted by your generous outpouring of love. This has been a heartbreaking time, but your thoughts and prayers have been felt throughout and sustained them.