Victim of West Nile recovers
Cleeter home after 11-month hospital stay
Mary Margaret Moorhead - Staff Writer

Ken Cleeter, a 54-year-old Aurora resident, returned home on Friday, October 8, after spending 11 months recovering in area hospitals from what was diagnosed as West Nile virus.

Cleeter's exit from Good Samaritan Hospital was greeted with media from Cincinnati television channels as well as area newspaper personnel. All had segments and interviews last Friday and Saturday concerning the "brush with death" Cleeter had as a victim of West Nile virus.

Cliff Radel, a staff writer for The Cincinnati Enquirer, reported that Cleeter calls his lengthy hospitalization "my 11-month vacation."

Noting that he was "extremely upbeat," Radel reports that Ken Cleeter walked out of Good Samaritan Hospital under his own power. His family and a large group of nurses, doctors, and physical therapists greeted him with cheers and tears.

Cleeter, an engineer at Lawrenceburg's Pernod Ricard Seagram Distillery, became ill and checked himself into Dearborn County Hospital on November 10, 2003. He thought he had the flu, he says, because he was vomiting and dehydrated.

Six weeks later he woke in Drake Center to discover he was paralyzed. He could barely wiggle the fingers on his left hand, according to the Enquirer report, and could scarcely raise his right arm, nor was he able to
speak.

Doctors think that Cleeter contracted the virus from a mosquito bite while playing golf or working in his yard. At the time there was even speculation it could have occurred when he was playing golf at a course in Ripley County. The source was never actually determined.

More important was the devastating effect of the virus that sent him on to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he has been receiving care and therapy for almost a year.

During his hospitalization, he has literally battled his way to recovery; he lost 45 pounds, survived nine operations, and has learned to adjust to braces that he needs to walk.

Cleeter attributes his recovery to his "two families and his faith." His second family, according to Cleeter, is the Good Sam family, who "have been so gracious to me through the good and the bad...I wouldn't be here without them."

His wife Sharon, daughter Kelly, and son Adam maintained a vigil at his bedside through the past 11 months. Kelly even postponed her wedding from February 14 to November 27 because she wants her dad to walk her down the aisle.

Speaking of his faith, Cleeter said, "The Good Lord must have a purpose for me here on earth. He had way too many opportunities to take me."

His message to the media as well as those who gathered to celebrate his release from the hospital was one of awareness. He talked about getting rid of standing water, using insect repellent, and recognizing the symptoms of West Nile virus.

"Everyone needs to be aware of this disease," he told reporters. "Not every bug is the flu."

West Nile virus found in bird in Ripley County

In information received from Pat Thomas, environmental specialist for the Ripley County Health Department, a dead bird found in the county has tested positive for the West Nile virus.

"This is the first time this year that a positive test has been reported for the virus in Ripley County," said Thomas.

Health officials are asking Hoosiers to:

* Be smart. Take special precautions when outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active;

* Be safe. Use insect repellent containing DEET;

* Be certain. Make sure your property is free of any standing water, which could be breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that carry the virus.

Check flowerpots, buckets, old tires, and clogged gutters as well as malfunctioning septic systems.

West Nile virus is transmitted to a human by a mosquito that has first bitten an infected bird. A person who is bitten by an infected mosquito may show symptoms from three to 15 days after the bite.

Symptoms are high fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle weakness or paralysis, and confusion. Some may have a mild form of the disease, while others may have severe forms such as encephalitis or meningitis.

In 2002 there were 293 human cases of West Nile virus in Indiana, including 11 deaths.