DIFFICULT DIAGNOSIS

New Jersey Doctors Solve Medical Mystery of Teen’s Paralysis

Doctors still don't know what triggered the 14-year-old's rare disease.

A 14-year-old New Jersey girl who suffered at least six seizures and more than 100 hours in a near-fully paralyzed state was told by doctors her diagnosis may be all in her head. And, in a way it was. Lili Manzo had seronegative autoimmune limbic encephalitis, an incredibly rare disease caused by swelling in her frontal lobe, according to her mother. Doctors aren't sure what triggered the rare case, which is “really underdiagnosed,” according to pediatric neurologist Dr. Jeffrey Kornitzer of the New Jersey Pediatric Neuroscience Institute. Nearly a year after her initial diagnosis, Malone is recovering and feels hopeful despite the rocky road she’s traversing. “I use it as something to motivate me,” Malone told NJ. “So with everything, if I’m having a bad day—look where I came from. I use it to help me.”