SAN DIEGO - A 13-year-old Tierrasanta, California boy is battling for his life after family members say he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.
A week ago Sunday, Grant Eyles started throwing up while his mother drove him and his siblings back from Los Angeles. He quickly developed a fever, but didn't get worse until Thursday, when he lost mobility on his right side and became confused.
His mother said a battery of tests pointed to bacterial meningitis, where membranes around the brain and spinal cord become inflamed, and it started with a common ailment.
"It was a complication essentially from a sinus infection. The infection breached the sinus cavity and went into the brain," said family friend Vanessa Bredehoft.
Over the weekend, seizures forced doctors to place Grant in a medically induced coma. Grant remains in critical condition.
County health officials say many strains of bacterial meningitis do not require an alert for person-to-person prevention, and this appears to be one of those cases.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help with the family's expenses.
