South Florida Teen Survives Brain-Eating Amoeba

ORLANDO, Fla. (CNN) -- A South Florida teen is recovering after getting an infection from a brain-eating amoeba.

Doctors at Florida Hospital were able to diagnose and treat Sebastian DeLeon, 16, within hours of him arriving at the hospital.

According to doctors, DeLeon spent the summer working as a camp counselor in South Florida when he was infected. The brain-eating amoeba entered his body through his nose while he was swimming.

On Aug. 7, while on vacation in Orlando, DeLeon had a massive headache that seemed like meningitis. However, a spinal tab concluded it was an amoeba.

Doctors had to put DeLeon in a coma for three days and cool his body to 33 degrees to help with his recovery.

In the past 50 years, only four people out of 138 cases have survived a brain-eating amoeba, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We're so thankful that God has given us the miracle of the medical team and this hospital for having our son back," said Brunilda Gonzalez, DeLeon's mother.

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