Blasto blasts area businesswoman

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Blasto blasts area businesswoman

Jeff Holmquist New Richmond News

August 01, 2008

New Richmond News - New Richmond,WI*

Only one person in 100,000 develops blastomycosis in Wisconsin each

year.

Molly Schaffer, State Farm Insurance agent in New Richmond, is one

of the unlucky ones.

Schaffer began feeling tired and achy in June. At first she

complained about a pain in her left side, headaches and fatigue.

Jeff Holmquist Archive

Doctors treated her with antibiotics after a preliminary diagnosis

of bacterial pneumonia. But eventually she developed a high fever

and the symptoms worsened.

" She slowly got a little worse, " said her husband, Jake, in an

interview Monday. " Two weeks later, she was admitted to the New

Richmond hospital. "

Local doctors were baffled, so Schaffer was transferred to United

Hospital in the Twin Cities and infectious disease specialists were

assigned to her case.

That's when the word blastomycosis entered Molly and Jake's

vocabulary.

" I didn't know anything about it, " Jake said. " Apparently it's in

the soil. "

Turns out, western Wisconsin is somewhat of a hotbed for the

disease, which is contracted when a person inhales spores from

contaminated soil.

" A lot of people are exposed to this airborne spore, " Jake

said. " But it just took hold of Molly. "

" The doctors said it's just bad luck that it stuck with me and not

with someone else, " Molly added.

According to the Center for Disease Control, those most likely to

contract the fungal illness are farmers, forestry workers, hunters

and campers. There's no telling how Molly may have contracted the

disease, although the couple lives near the Apple River in rural

Somerset and close to wooded areas.

The disease is found most often in states along the Mississippi and

Ohio rivers, and in the Great Lakes region. Wisconsin has one of the

highest infection rates (1.4 per 100,000 residents).

" We were excited to get this figured out, " Jake said.

But neither of them realized the physical battle that would soon

begin.

After entering the hospital on July 4, Schaffer's condition worsened

and she was moved to the intensive care unit. Molly's oxygen levels

were getting lower and she was expending a great deal of energy to

breath and eat.

A few days later, doctors decided to intubate Molly so she could get

more air. She was also given a feeding tube and placed on medication

to help her rest.

Molly essentially slept for the next two weeks while her body fought

off the infection.

Over the past week, however, Molly has slowly been weaned from the

drugs and life-support connections. She was taken out of the ICU on

Friday.

" I make strides everyday, " she said.

Over the past few days, Molly has been able to take short walks

outside her hospital room.

" But it takes a lot of energy, " she admits. Even talking on the

telephone for the short interview taps her energy.

Doctors tell Molly that the recovery will take time. It could take

more than two months before Molly's lungs completely heal, and

doctors expect her to be taking anti-fungal medication for six to

nine months.

Molly will be transferred to Sister Kinny Institute later this week

for physical and occupational therapy.

With any luck, Jake said, she'll be home for the weekend but she

will continue to need therapy to help her return to normal physical

capacity. (In an update, Scahffer went home on Thursday without

heading to Sister Kinny first. Her health continues to progress)

" It will be a long, slow recovery, " Jake said.

Family and friends of Molly have set up a Caring Bridge site so

anyone interested can follow her progress. Visit

www.caringbridge.org/visit/mollyschaffer for information or to leave

a message.

The site has already received more than 7,000 visits and more than

400 well-wishers have posted messages.

Molly said she appreciates all of the support she has received, and

all the offers of help with chores and meals.

" Everybody's thoughts and prayers have been very powerful in my

recovery, " she said. " It's wonderful to be reminded about how

wonderful our community is. "