Local family holds onto hope as 21-year-old battles rare brain disease
A 21-year-old musician from St. Albert is battling anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes severe neurological symptoms. His family is sharing his story as he undergoes a difficult recovery process after being hospitalized.
Why it matters
Rare autoimmune conditions often present diagnostic challenges, and personal accounts help raise awareness for medical research and support systems.
A 21-year-old St. Albert musician is facing a long road to recovery after a rare autoimmune disease suddenly left him hospitalized and unable to communicate.
For weeks, Jennifer Fehr thought her son was simply tired.
Tristan Fehr was healthy and active. He worked full time, played drums and guitar, wrote music with his band Rivera, and worked toward his private pilot's licence.
"He couldn't sleep," Jennifer said. "He was losing weight. Things around him seemed fuzzy, and people appeared to be moving faster than usual."
At first, his family thought he was exhausted. Then Tristan told his mother something that made her realize something was seriously wrong.
"Something's wrong with me," he told her. "Something's not right. Something's off."
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