John and Ann Giese were told by doctors their 15 year-old daughter, Jeanna, had only hours to live. She had been bitten by a rabid bat.
"Our choices were to keep her in the hospital and let her die, or bring her home and let her die," said John Giese. "Our hearts dropped... It was tough."
But then her doctor came up with a radical procedure.
"Put her in a coma to put her body asleep so the rabies couldn't spread," said Ann Giese.
It worked, and Jeanna became the first documented rabies survivor ever in US history.
"It was a real shocker to learn that I had rabies and I beat it," said Jeanna. "I was in the hospital for about 11 weeks and every day since then as been a day of recovery."
Nearly five years later, Jeanna is almost a normal 20 year-old, except for the slurred speech, and fine motor problems.
"Definitely my faith helped to give me strength."
The family from Fondulac, Wisconson visited the Houston area over the weekend to help launch the rabies awareness project with Humble parents, Larry and Connie Jones, who lost their only son three years ago to rabies. It included a golf tournament to raise money for the Zach Jones Foundation, which has been successful in contributing about $30,000 in scholarships and nearly $50,000 to rabies research.
"Rabies in the US are on the rise," said Connie Jones.
"It's a horrific disease Â… almost like a death sentence," said Larry Jones. "If we could get the education and awareness out to the general public ... maybe be can eliminate another Zach Jones death, and maybe we can eliminate another Jeanna Giese going through what she is going through."
"I just want to get the word out there and to educate people," said Jeanna.
Health officials say you should never touch a bat with your bare hands. If you are bitten, try to contain the bat in question, and call your doctor or health department right away.
"Our choices were to keep her in the hospital and let her die, or bring her home and let her die," said John Giese. "Our hearts dropped... It was tough."
But then her doctor came up with a radical procedure.
"Put her in a coma to put her body asleep so the rabies couldn't spread," said Ann Giese.
It worked, and Jeanna became the first documented rabies survivor ever in US history.
"It was a real shocker to learn that I had rabies and I beat it," said Jeanna. "I was in the hospital for about 11 weeks and every day since then as been a day of recovery."
Nearly five years later, Jeanna is almost a normal 20 year-old, except for the slurred speech, and fine motor problems.
"Definitely my faith helped to give me strength."
The family from Fondulac, Wisconson visited the Houston area over the weekend to help launch the rabies awareness project with Humble parents, Larry and Connie Jones, who lost their only son three years ago to rabies. It included a golf tournament to raise money for the Zach Jones Foundation, which has been successful in contributing about $30,000 in scholarships and nearly $50,000 to rabies research.
"Rabies in the US are on the rise," said Connie Jones.
"It's a horrific disease Â… almost like a death sentence," said Larry Jones. "If we could get the education and awareness out to the general public ... maybe be can eliminate another Zach Jones death, and maybe we can eliminate another Jeanna Giese going through what she is going through."
"I just want to get the word out there and to educate people," said Jeanna.
Health officials say you should never touch a bat with your bare hands. If you are bitten, try to contain the bat in question, and call your doctor or health department right away.
