Teichman Battling Rare Disease
Published: Friday, September 20, 2019
A GoFundMe account has been set up for a southern Michigan fruit farmer who is battling Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a rare mosquito-borne virus that causes brain swelling.
Bill Teichman is a lifelong, third generation fruit farmer who works at Tree-Mendous Fruit Farm in Eau Claire. He contracted the illness back in August and is now recovering in a long term acute hospital.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, only five to 10 human cases of EEE are reported every year, and about 30 percent of all cases result in death. So far, at least three people in the U.S. have died from EEE this year.
At this point, Teichman is unable to speak or move but can follow people with his eyes.
Earlier this year, the family suffered the loss of family patriarch Herb Teichman and the polar vortex wiped out most of the orchard's peach, apricot and plum crop and killed many trees.
With fruit season still underway and other chores at the orchard, the family is depending on a lot of help from family, friends and other farmers in the vicinity.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help the family meet the medical expenses, and as of Tuesday morning, it had reached $43,576. The goal is $65,000.
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