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Mystery illness keeps New Braunfels father hospitalized, out of work

Ali Telfer said doctors can't conclude why her husband Adam's health is on the decline.

LIVE OAK, Texas — A New Braunfels woman is relying on doctors for answers on her 47-year-old husband's declining health over the past year.

However, Ali Telfer said her husband Adam's illness continues to be a mystery for physicians.

"He was perfectly healthy before his COVID diagnosis in August 2021. He was diagnosed with acute COVID and was in the hospital for three weeks but he recovered," said Telfer.

Telfer said her husband fell ill again in April of this year.

"He just all of a sudden started getting dizzy and [having] high fevers, and we couldn't figure out what it was," she said.

Telfer said neither could doctors in their hometown, northeast of San Antonio. She's counted five different times he's been admitted to the hospital for symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, fevers and cardiac issues.

At one point, he was on a ventilator which has since been removed.

On Friday, he was moved to Methodist Hospital Northeast in Live Oak. Telfer said her husband has been struggling with aphasia, which is a language disorder caused by brain damage.

"It's like he is in there but he can't get any words out," said Telfer.

Telfer said doctors suspect his condition could be autoimmune related but it's unknown. She also said there could be a COVID component but doctors told her there is not a definitive test to determine a connection.

The family wants to move their father to University Hospital in San Antonio. If they can't transfer him there, they prefer a clinic with a rheumatologist on staff.

"I want treatment. I want answers and I want him to be able to return to work," she said.

Telfer said her husband loves his job but was recently placed on medical leave. She fears if he doesn't recover, he may lose his job and insurance to pay for medical bills.

"To see that taken away from him is just another layer of pain," said Telfer.

She's even had to put her small business on hold to care for her husband and their children. The family is now relying on the generosity of others through a Go Fund Me created by a family friend.

Credit: Ali Telfer
Telfer family smiles for a photo.

At time of writing, the account has raised more than $8,000.

Telfer describes her husband as her rock and she just wants to see him return to good health.

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