Nebraska man hospitalized while battling West Nile virus

By Mary Regli

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    BLAIR, Nebraska (KETV) — On Thursday, Sept. 26, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reported two Nebraskans have died from West Nile virus this year. One mosquito pool in Washington County recently tested positive for the virus.

Now, we’re hearing of a man in that county who is currently battling the illness.

Patrick Bolton is a life-long Blair resident, a father and grandfather who loves spending time outdoors.

“Everybody loves Pat. He’s a jokester, he loves to joke with people. Everybody he meets is his friend,” said Margaret Hiykel.

At the beginning of August, life changed for Bolton with a terrible headache that led to an emergency room visit.

“He was there seven hours. They kept giving him pain medicine but could never get his pain down below a six,” said Hiykel.

Doctors released him, thinking it was just a migraine, but his condition rapidly worsened.

“By the next morning, he was completely out of it. He didn’t know what was going on. He said a few words to me, and then he quit talking,” said Hiykel.

After a spinal tap, Bolton was diagnosed with West Nile virus. It was one of the worst cases the doctors had seen.

He likely got the mosquito bite near the creek running through his yard.

“And it’s just a horrible, horrible thing,” said Hiykel.

He’s now heavily sedated and on a ventilator with a trach tube and feeding tube.

“Sometimes, when he wakes up, I think he knows what’s going on. And then a few minutes later, he doesn’t,” Hiykel said.

It’s been two months, and Bolton still has miles to go in his journey to recovery.

After release, he’ll spend months in therapy, relearning how to walk, talk, and eat again.

“But he won’t ever fully recover from this. And it’s just a little mosquito,” Hiykel said.

His family and friends are trying to get his story out there to spread awareness of how serious West Nile can be.

“There’s so many outdoor activities here in Blair. And, everybody, just take precaution, please,” Hiykel said.

Bolton’s friends tell us the Blair VFW center will be holding a fundraiser for him on Oct. 19.

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