Surviving West Nile Virus

"I like to collect seeds in the fall and must have been bitten while doing that. I had heard about West Nile, but it never occurred to me that I could get it," says Eileen. Approximately a week later, she began having flu-like symptoms. "My fever went up. By Monday morning, I couldn't move my body."

The virus made Eileen very ill and caused her excruciating pain, but she defied medical odds and survived the disease. After weeks of therapy, she was motoring around on her scooter and then able to move around on crutches. Her recovery has been slow and difficult.

"The doctors never thought I'd get this far. They told me that it was permanent and that I would not be able to move anything," says Eileen, who now walks with the aid of a walker and a brace on her right leg. "Progress comes every month, where I can do something that I haven't been able to do since the illness."

Much of Eileen's inspiration comes from her garden, which is three-and-a-half acres, complete with a pond, pool and lake. This mother of three has had to make some adjustments, like putting in turf paths that allow her to maneuver around much more easily. Since her illness, she concentrates on path and edging work and potting some of the flowers to give away. "People remember you when you give them a plant because it keeps growing for them."

Eileen draws her strength from the earth and her gardens, and in turn her bright spirit is infectious. "If I'm miserable, no one is going to want to be around me, so I do what I can. I reach out, and people are very responsive."