WATER CAN BRING THAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT. BUT IF YOU’RE STANDING ON THE SHORELINE OR SWIMMING IN THE WATER, YOU MAY NOT KNOW WHAT LIVES IN THE SAND NOW, AS THE WEATHER WARMS UP, ONE FAMILY HAS A WARNING ABOUT THE DANGER THAT LURKS UNDERNEATH. DON’T EVER SAY IT CAN NEVER HAPPEN TO ME, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT WE SAID. 24 YEAR OLD BETH KNIGHT LOOKED TO BEAT THE HEAT AT THE LAKE WITH HER TWO KIDS. BACK IN 2015, BUT DAYS LATER, SHE WAS FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE. SO FROM THE TIME SHE WAS EXPOSED TO LAKE WATER, FROM THE TIME SHE PASSED AWAY WAS LESS THAN SIX DAYS. KNIGHT WAS TOLD SHE HAD A MIGRAINE, THEN MENINGITIS, AS IT WAS MISDIAGNOSED MOST. UM, BUT THAT HAPPENS A LOT. HER FAMILY LATER LEARNED SHE WAS BATTLING A BRAIN EATING AMOEBA. IT’S ONE OF THOSE THREE MAJOR ORGANISMS THAT YOU NEVER WANT TO COME IN CONTACT WITH IF POSSIBLE. UM, IN THE CATEGORY OF EBOLA OR RABIES, IT WILL GET INTO THE SINUSES AND THEN IT WILL KIND OF CRAWL UP INTO THE BRAIN. UM, AND IT IT REALLY LIKES OUR BRAINS. AND SO IT WILL ACTUALLY CAUSE, UM, A LOT OF DAMAGE. FATAL. AND NEARLY EVERY CASE AND FOUND IN FRESHWATER LAKES AND HOT SPRINGS OR SOMETIMES EVEN NETI POTS IF DISTILLED WATER ISN’T USED. KNIGHT’S FAMILY NOW WANTS TO RAISE AWARENESS AHEAD OF DAYS SPENT AT THE LAKE, SAYING WHEN THE WATER IS 80 DEGREES OR WARMER, THE AMOEBA THRIVES. WE DON’T REALLY KNOW. ACTUALLY THE OCCURRENCE OF THIS BECAUSE IT’S MISDIAGNOSED ALMOST EVERY SINGLE TIME. WE’RE A NOSE PLUG. IF YOU’RE GOING TO GO UNDERWATER, UM, DO NOT BE ON THE SHALLOW END WHEN IT’S REALLY WARM. THE FAMILY SAYS THEY’RE PUSHING FOR SIGNS TO BE PUT UP AT LAKES. WARNING SWIMMERS IF AMOEBAS PRESENT, AND FOR MORE RESEARCH AND DRUGS TO HELP SAVE LIVES. WE’RE NOT SAYING DON’T GO OUT AND ENJOY THE OR DON’T GO OUT AND ENJOY, BUT PLEASE, YOU KNOW, DO YOU JUST TAKE, YOU KNOW, BE AWARE, TAKE PRECAUTIONS BECAUSE YOU KNOW, UM, IT ONLY TOOK I MEAN, WE’D BEEN AT THAT LIKE
Oklahoma family issues warning on rare, deadly disease found in lakes
Her parents later learned that their 24-year-old daughter was living with a brain-eating amoeba
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Updated: 6:22 PM CDT Mar 13, 2024
A family issued a warning on a rare disease that killed a woman swimming in a lake with her kids. Beth Knight, a 24-year-old, looked to beat the heat at the lake with her two kids in 2015. But days later, she was fighting for her life. >> Download the KOCO 5 app"Don't ever say, 'It won't ever happen to me,' because that’s what we said," said Mike McKown, Knight's father. "From the time she was exposed to the lake water to the time she passed away was less than six days." Knight was told she had a migraine and then meningitis. "It was misdiagnosed. That happens a lot," said Alonie McKown, the mother of Knight. Her family later learned that Knight was living with a brain-eating amoeba."It’s one of those three major organisms that you never want to come in contact with, if possible. It’s in the category of Ebola and rabies," said Donna Tyungu, the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at OU Children's Hospital. "It will get into the sinuses, and then it will kind of crawl up into the brain, and it really likes our brains. So it will actually cause a lot of damage." The disease is fatal in nearly every case. It is found in freshwater lakes and hot springs, and sometimes, it can be found in neti pots if distilled water isn't used. Knight's family now wants to raise awareness ahead of the summer. They said when the water is 80 degrees or warmer, the amoeba thrives. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here."We don’t really know the occurrence of this because it’s misdiagnosed almost every single time," Mike said. The family said they are pushing for signs to be put up at lakes, warning swimmers if amoeba is present. They also pushed for more research and drugs to help save lives. "Wear a nose plug if you’re going to go underwater. Do not be in the shallow end when it’s really warm," Alonie said. "We’re not saying, 'Don’t go out and enjoy the water.' Please do you. Just be aware and take precautions because we’d been at that lake 100 million times, and it only took that once." Top Headlines Nex Benedict Autopsy: ME rules teen's manner of death as suicide TIMELINE: Storms could bring big hail, tornado risk to Oklahoma on Wednesday Oklahoma driver baffled after hitting, killing kangaroo on highway Former city employee charged with embezzling more than $20,000 from Edmond Oklahomans say cost to renew vehicle registration is a barrier to drivers Facebook hackers steal $14,000 from Oklahoma event organizer
A family issued a warning on a rare disease that killed a woman swimming in a lake with her kids.
Beth Knight, a 24-year-old, looked to beat the heat at the lake with her two kids in 2015. But days later, she was fighting for her life.
>> Download the KOCO 5 app
"Don't ever say, 'It won't ever happen to me,' because that’s what we said," said Mike McKown, Knight's father. "From the time she was exposed to the lake water to the time she passed away was less than six days."
Knight was told she had a migraine and then meningitis.
"It was misdiagnosed. That happens a lot," said Alonie McKown, the mother of Knight.
Her family later learned that Knight was living with a brain-eating amoeba.
"It’s one of those three major organisms that you never want to come in contact with, if possible. It’s in the category of Ebola and rabies," said Donna Tyungu, the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at OU Children's Hospital. "It will get into the sinuses, and then it will kind of crawl up into the brain, and it really likes our brains. So it will actually cause a lot of damage."
The disease is fatal in nearly every case. It is found in freshwater lakes and hot springs, and sometimes, it can be found in neti pots if distilled water isn't used.
Knight's family now wants to raise awareness ahead of the summer. They said when the water is 80 degrees or warmer, the amoeba thrives.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
"We don’t really know the occurrence of this because it’s misdiagnosed almost every single time," Mike said.
The family said they are pushing for signs to be put up at lakes, warning swimmers if amoeba is present. They also pushed for more research and drugs to help save lives.
"Wear a nose plug if you’re going to go underwater. Do not be in the shallow end when it’s really warm," Alonie said. "We’re not saying, 'Don’t go out and enjoy the water.' Please do you. Just be aware and take precautions because we’d been at that lake 100 million times, and it only took that once."
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