Within hours my husband couldn't remember his name and thought toys were real after being hit with rare disease
A father-of-two has been left battling seizures and hallucinations after a trip to the emergency department revealed he was suffering from a rare brain disease. Ryan Alto, 48, began to suffer flu-like symptoms in October 2024 and became disoriented. After a week with no improvement, his wife Jennifer convinced him to go their local emergency room at St Joseph Hospital in Arcata, California, and within hours, the livestock owner stopped responding to his own name and began to hallucinate. Over the next five days, Ryan began having seizures that caused his heart to stop and was no longer able to recognize those around him. When his condition continued to deteriorate, he had to be airlifted to the University of California San Francisco Medial Center for treatment. After two weeks of tests as he remained unresponsive, Ryan was diagnosed with Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis - a rare neuroimmunologic disorder,The condition causes the body to develop antibodies that attack receptors in the brain, causing swelling and a range of neurological as well as psychiatric symptoms such as dysfunction in talking and walking. About one person out of every 1.5 million people in the US - about 6.6 percent - is found to be suffering from adult-onset anti-NMDA encephalitis. Ryan Alto, 48, a father-of-two has been left battling seizures and hallucinations after a regular trip to the ER revealed he was suffering from Anti-NMDA Encephalitis Ryan's condition became even more severe after doctors found blood clots throughout his body, which can increase his risk for seizures. Jennifer said on Facebook: 'His case has been complicated by the development of blood clots throughout his body, which has required him to be on continuous high dose anticoagulation and limits certain aspects of his care.'The condition had caused Ryan to fall into an eight week coma, but even when he came out of it, he was unable to walk, stand, lift his arms and his delusions continued - believing a stuffed animal of a dog was real.Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is an extremely rare disease that was only just discovered in 2007. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body creates antibodies that attack the NMDA receptors in the brain that are responsible for learning and memory formation. It initially causes patients to experience behavioral and psychiatric symptoms such as speech dysfunction, seizures hallucinations, and dysfunction in talking and walking. Within days, these symptoms escalate to neurological symptoms such as rapid and erratic jerking of the arms and legs and decreasing level of consciousness. The two main triggers for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis are tumors (most commonly ovarian/extraovarian teratomas) and herpes simplex encephalitis.The herpes simplex encephalitis is swelling in the brain that can happen if a new or reactivated herpes virus infection moves to the brain. It can be caused either by HSV-1, which is responsible for oral herpes or HSV-2, which is responsible for genital herpes.While it remains unclear what triggered Ryan's condition, carcinomas - cancer that starts in tissue lining your skin and organs - can also cause anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis in people older than 45 years of age. About eight weeks after slipping into a come, Ryan's condition began to improve, but he has remained in the hospital for 19 weeks.And even as his health started to recover, he continued to face memory issues and was still experiencing neurological symptoms, including not recognizing his family. Jennifer said: 'Ryan is experiencing abnormal psychiatric behavior, speech dysfunction and has now begun shaking during his episodes. Doctors have thankfully ruled out any seizure activity. 'Though he couldn’t speak due to a tracheotomy, I could tell he was still in there — his eyes told me he was fighting. Now, almost 19 weeks later, Ryan is still in the hospital. His brain is recovering, but it’s a long and grueling process. The brain condition had caused Ryan to fall into an eight week coma - leaving him unable to walk, stand, lift his arms and believing that a stuffed dog is real (Pictured: Ryan, his wife Jennifer and kids Lexi and Nathan) 'His case has been complicated by the development of blood clots throughout his body, which has required him to be on continuous high dose anticoagulation and limits certain aspects of his care,' Jennifer said at one pointIn a Facebook post dated December 15, Jennifer explained: 'Ryan is making big improvements. He is able to track humans with his eyes, suck on ice chips when fed to him, lift his arms, legs and torso off the bed and speak with the help of his speaking valve on the trach. 'With these huge improvements comes challenges. NMDA encephalitis sometimes causes short term memory loss (often temporary). Much like the movie "50 First Dates" Ryan’s brain resets every few minutes, which causes extreme frustration for him.'Due to his extreme condition and slow recovery, the Alto family was advised to seek out a specialized neurological rehabilitation center for further treatment but kept facing rejections from multiple facilities due to Ryan's limited mobility, tracheotomy and other medical complications.'Ryan’s next step has been an extremely stressful process. We had big hopes that he would be admitted to a Neuro rehabilitation center but got denied by all of them due to his lack of ability to do three hours of physical therapy,' Jennifer said. Finally, Ryan was accepted to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago for treatment. To help with treatment costs and flights, Kelly Helms, a friend of the Alto family launched a GoFundMe. In a Facebook post dated December 15, Jennifer explained: 'Ryan is making big improvements. He is able to track humans with his eyes, suck on ice chips when fed to him, lift his arms, legs and torso off the bed and speak with the help of his speaking valve on the trach' Ryan was accepted to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago for treatmentAs of now, the crowdfunding page has raised $104,154 out of $110,000 goal. On February 10, Jennifer said she was grateful for all the financial help she had received from family, friends and strangers. She wrote: 'Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this could happen or that we were deserving of so many friends, families and strangers donations. Ryan, Lexie, Nathan and I are truly blessed. Not only is his flight covered but the extra funds allow a cushion for if Blue shield decides he is done with rehab. 'Now, I can extend the stay if needed. From the beginning I have been praying for a rehab that understands Ryan’s diagnosis and now we found one right when I was beginning to give up hope. 'And thanks to all your kindness, generosity and prayers we will be packing our parkas and hopefully getting out of here soon. I love you all so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 'Upon his recovery, I look forward to expressing the depth of love and appreciation he has received. Your donations, messages, calls, and prayers are cherished beyond words. 'This experience has been an emotional rollercoaster, but your support has been our anchor. We eagerly await Ryan's recovery and return home, where we can personally thank each of you.'The family believes that his recovery could take six months to a year but remain confident 'Ryan can make it with the right care and therapy'.
