Doctors have been left baffled after discovering black fungus growing on a man’s brain following his trip abroad.
35-year-old Tyson Bottenus from Rhode Island is perhaps the only person alive who is suffering from an invasive, toxic black fungus that has been spreading across his brain for the last four years.
The story began in 2018 when Tyson was celebrating his engagement to Liza Burkin by taking a backpacking trip in Costa Rica. While the trip went seemingly well, the young man suffered a minor cut to his elbow after losing his balance and falling off his bike.
After cleaning the wound and having it sterilized at the hospital, Tyson forgot all about the abrasion only for it to haunt him following his return home.
Shortly after coming back from Costa Rica, the man started suffering from facial paralysis and severe migraines. It wasn’t until he underwent several biopsies that baffled doctors found out his brain was hijacked by Cladophialophora bantiana, also known as black fungus.
“I have not encountered anyone else who has this. Everyone else I believe, who has this fungus, is dead unfortunately,” Bottenus said of his rare condition in an interview with DailyMail.com.
According to the United States National Library of Medicine, just over one hundred cases of the same condition Bottenus was diagnosed with were recorded in the last one hundred years.
“[Doctors] could literally see the fungus growing in my head. That was great to figure that out, but it’s not great that I have fungus in my head. How do I get this fungus out? We’re not supposed to have fungus in our heads,” the 35-year-old added.
Bottenus also revealed that doctors have been struggling to treat his condition for years due to the depth at which the fungus in his brain is residing.
Following ten brain surgeries aimed at reducing his brain swelling, the brave man continues to embrace new treatments that might potentially save his life.
“We’ve figured out the medication is going into my blood at a good level, but we don’t know if it’s going into my brain. If that is happening, then we can defeat the fungus. If not, then we’ll have to try another medication,” Bottenus said of his new medication.
Meanwhile, he confirmed that the new treatment relieved some of his migraine pains allowing him to resume his basic activities like working on his studies and walking his dog.
The 35-year-old also revealed that his relationship is doing better than ever and that he and his partner are growing stronger by the day.
Stay strong, Tyson!