Huntersville Toddler Diagnosed With Acute Flaccid Myelitis

CHARLOTTE, NC. —   A medical mystery that’s affecting children in the Charlotte area. A Huntersville toddler is one of the 62 confirmed cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis in the country.  It’s rare polio-like illness with no treatment or vaccine.

Ryan Epps is a happy toddler who loves toys, playing and running. To an outsider, he’s a  normal, healthy two-year old. In July, his mother noticed something wasn’t right.

“Something is wrong. Because he goes from playing with his friends at school, to not playing. We just knew something was wrong,” says Ryan’s mother Roshonda Epps.

Roshonda and Reginald Epps saw their son’s arm go limp. That’s when they rushed him to Levine Children’s Hospital.

After dozens of tests., the prognosis was the rare polio-like illness: Acute Flaccid Myelitis.

“When we heard polio, that’s when my heat dropped.”

AFM affects the spinal cord, leading to loss of movement in one or more arms or legs. For Ryan, he wasn’t able to move most of the right side of his body.

“After we got the diagnosis, remember I said, oh we’re going to fight.”

Since then, Ryan has been in rehab working with Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists to get strength back in his right arm and leg. Getting stronger and stronger every day.

“When he first got out to the hospital his arm was completely flaccid and he wasn’t moving it at all. He’s now able to push on it.”