Teenage Boy Who Was Presumed Dead Woke Up On The Way To His Own Funeral

It’s never nice to be bitten by a dog. As much as we we love our pugs, pomeranians, pitbulls or any other breeds, dogs can get overexcited or stressed quite easily, and when that happens, they have been known to sink their teeth into their beloved masters. All dogs are, of course, descendants of the wolf, and from time to time, the more aggressive of those ancestral traits come to the fore.

Fortunately, advancements in the world of veterinary science mean that the wider consequences of dog bites are usually just a slight wariness of our furry friends, but there are a few medical conditions that are the result of a dog bite.

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Getting bitten by a dog can result in the victim contracting rabies, which is a viral disease which causes inflammation in the brain, and is almost always fatal if not treated in time. Luckily, the onset of vaccinations means that less than 5% of dogs in the Americas carry the disease. In extremely rare cases, however, a dog bite can be the cause of an extremely uncommon bacterial infection known as meningoencephalitis.

Kumar Marewad, 17, from the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka contracted meningoencephalitis from a dog bite which left him hanging by a thread within a month. But when his family decided to take him off life support, nobody could have predicted what came next.

Ningappa and Manjula Marewad were devastated when their 17-year-old son Kumar fell gravely ill after getting bitten by a stray dog. Within a month of receiving the bite, Kumar came down with a fever, and was admitted into care in the district of Dharwad, Karnataka as his health continued to deteriorate. At the hospital, doctors informed his parents that Kumar, who dropped out of school to work in construction when his brother began to suffer from severe physical disabilities, would not survive if he was taken off life support.

The shocked family had some serious thinking to do, and after careful discussion, Kumar’s brother-in-law Sharanappa Naikar told local news outlets of their decision.

“We had decided to take Kumar home after doctors told us his chances of survival were bleak once taken off the ventilator.”

Bringing Kumar home to live out his final days in familiar surroundings, at some point, Kumar became still and unresponsive. The Marewad family took this as a sign that Kumar had passed away, and preparations were soon underway for the memorial service.

On the day of the funeral, Kumar’s family left their home to perform his last rites, but with little over a mile before they reached their destination, something quite miraculous occurred. Kumar opened his eyes, and began moving his arms and legs around, showing signs of life when all hope had been lost.

Stunned, Kumar’s family rushed him to a nearby hospital on Gokul Road, and it was here that doctors were able to correctly diagnose Kumar’s condition.

“Kumar is on ventilator. We suspect he suffers from meningoencephalitis, an infection caused due to dog bite. [sic]”

For 17-year-old Kumar, this incident counts as a lucky escape, as the young man continues to fight for his life in Karnataka. Treating meningoencephalitis seems to be a difficult task; high profile cases include British TV presenter Christopher Price, who died in 2002, as well as the former Leader of New South Wales’ Labor Party Morris Iemma. Iemma was admitted to hospital in May 2009, and had to undergo surgery to regain the use of his legs.

We wish Kumar and his family the best of luck in his battle against this rare bacterial infection.