Doctors will never know why Eric Dolch went from being a healthy 14-year-old boy to someone who was fighting for his life after he was diagnosed with encephalitis on June 20, 2005. But a foundation created in Eric Dolch's name hopes to someday provide answers for other children and adults stricken with this neurological illness.

The Eric Dolch Children's Encephalitis Foundation, the first known foundation in the U.S. that deals specifically with encephalitis, recently made it first donation as a 501(c)(3) entity. EDCEF donated almost $6,000 to the Miami Children's Hospital Foundation to fund a computer system that will help doctors do a better job of tracking and treating epilepsy patients.

"The generous donation of the imaging workstation by the Dolch Foundation will perform state of the art digital analysis of all aspects of neurological function, including electrical measurements of activity occurring within the brain, as well as chemical and anatomical measurements obtained from MRI and functional imaging tests," said Dr. Trevor J. Resnick, the chief of neurology at Miami Children's Hospital.

"The advanced processing that the computer performs will allow subtle differences to be identified that are otherwise invisible to the human eye. Similar to uncovering microscopic evidence at the scene of a crime, such clues will help the Miami Children's Brain Institute identify treatable conditions in children, and more precisely define which part of the brain is being injured, and improve the effectiveness of treatment while at the same time lowering its risk."

The Eric Dolch Children's Encephalitis Foundation was formed by his parents, Ava Van de Water and Craig Dolch, in March of 2006, nine months after their son contracted near-fatal encephalitis and spent more than a year in hospitals in Florida and Massachusetts. Eric returned to his West Palm Beach home in the fall of 2006 and continues to recover from encephalitis.

The foundation's mission is to raise money for encephalitis and epilepsy research, to help area hospitals in South Florida diagnose and treat the disease, to raise public awareness for encephalitis and epilepsy and to make sure all children receive the same quality of medical care as adults and senior citizens.

"No child or family should have to go through what Eric and our family has experienced over the past three years," Van de Water said. "It truly is a parent's worst nightmare to have your child suffer from this insidious disease, and you don't even know how or why it happened -- or what's going to happen to your child on a long-term basis."

Encephalitis is a rare disease that affects approximately 1 out of every 200,000 individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Encephalitis is most common in children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

The Eric Dolch Children's Encephalitis Foundation received its 501(c)(3) non-profit designation by the Internal Revenue Code in the fall of 2006.

Eric and his sister Alex

Eric Dolch turns 17, continues recovery

Now 17, Eric Dolch continues to make his recovery from near-fatal encephalitis with family and friends at his West Palm Beach home. This Labor Day weekend marked the two-year anniversary of Eric returning home after spending more than 15 months at Miami Children's Hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care, as well as hospitals in West Palm Beach, Miami and Boston.

Eric was hospitalized on June 20, 2005, eventually diagnosed with encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain, when he was 14. Eric was placed into a medically-induced coma by doctors at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in West Palm Beach to protect his brain from seizures before he was airlifted a week later to Miami Children's Hospital. He spent 115 days in a coma, which doctors at Miami Children's say is a record length of stay in a coma for an encephalitis patient at their facility.

After trying rehabilitation at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Eric returned to Miami Children's on March 17, 2006 because of his extensive medical problems. He underwent brain surgery in June of 2006 to help alleviate the seizures.

Eric left Miami Children's on Aug. 31, 2006 to return to his West Palm Beach home where he continues to receive around-the-clock nursing.

Eric receives therapy three times a week at the Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adults in Palm Beach, getting great care from physical therapists Ellen O'Bannon, Rich Sylvester and Barbara Candales; orthopedic therapist Kelli Jacobs and speech therapist Jaclyn Theeck. He has a great Homebound teacher in Mrs. Frances Dyben and occasionally attends Royal Palm Beach School in Lantana.

On March 6, 2006, the parents of Eric Dolch, a young man diagnosed with encephalitis when he was only 14 years old, announced the formation of the Eric Dolch Children's Encephalitis Foundation (EDCEF) -- the first known foundation in the U.S. that deals specifically with encephalitis, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Epilepsy Foundation. The Eric Dolch Children's Encephalitis Foundation's mission is to raise money for encephalitis and epilepsy research, to help area hospitals in South Florida diagnose and treat the disease, to raise public awareness for encephalitis and epilepsy and to make sure all children receive the same quality of medical care as adults and senior citizens.

"No child or family should have to go through what Eric and our family has experienced over the past 14 months," said Eric's mother, Ava Van de Water of West Palm Beach. "It truly is a parent's worst nightmare to have your child suffer from this insidious disease, and you don't even know how or why it happened -- or what's going to happen to your child on a long-term basis."

Encephalitis (pronounced: in-seh-fuh-lye-tus) is an inflammation of the brain that causes swelling. The disease can be fatal in some cases and it can lead to acquired brain injury and severe disabilities. Encephalitis is usually caused by a virus, but other things, including bacteria, may cause it as well. In Eric's case, the only thing he tested positive for was Mycoplasma, a bacteria that can cause encephalitis but also could have been in his body from an earlier infection.

Encephalitis is a rare disease that affects approximately 1 out of every 200,000 individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Encephalitis is most common in children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Approximately 2,000 cases of encephalitis are reported every year, but doctors suspect that many more may go unreported because the symptoms are so mild. The latest trends are becoming more alarming.

"We are seeing more children with encephalitis every year," said Dr. Andre Raszynski, the director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Miami Children's Hospital -- where Eric spent almost four months in a doctor-induced coma. "We used to get 2 or 3 cases a year; now we're getting 10 to 15. We don't know why that is happening, but unfortunately we are seeing more children like Eric every year."

Dr. Raszynski said he believes Eric spent the longest time in a medically-induced coma (115) at Miami Children's than any other encephalitis patient. Eric, now 15, was initially hospitalized at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in West Palm Beach on June 20 -- the day after Father's Day -- before being airlifted to Miami Children's eight days later. Eric tried to go through rehabilitation at Miami Jackson Memorial and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston beofre returning to Miami Children's Hospital in March because of medical issues. Eric is still at Miami Children's, but his doctors believe he soon may finally be able to go home. Doctors say it could take months before they'll know how Eric will come out of this illness on a long-term basis.

Ava Van de Water is a real estate broker at Brown Harris Stevens in Palm Beach. Eric would have been a freshman at Cardinal Newman High. He has a 17-year-old sister, Alexandra.

The Eric Dolch Children's Encephalitis Foundation has applied for 501(c)(3) non-profit designation by the Internal Revenue Code. That process takes between six and nine months. Meantime, The Eric Dolch Children's Encephalitis Foundation as incorporated with the State of Florida and can operate as a foundation until it officially receives that designation from the IRS.

Back to top

Eric Dolch back at home, making steady progress

After spending more than 14 months in four hospitals and two in-patient rehabilitation facilities, Eric Dolch has finally returned home as he continues to recover from a severe case of encephalitis.

Eric, 15, left Miami Children's Hospital on Aug. 31 to make the 90-minute ride by ambulance to his West Palm Beach home. He had been hospitalized on June 20, 2005, meaning he had been away from his home and family for 437 days, spending time at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Miami Children's Hospital, Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation in Boston and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Eric has made steady progress during his time at home. He has gained 30 pounds as he has been able to slowly start eating foods again. He is getting therapy three times a week at the Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adults in Palm Beach and he also has a teacher come to the home twice a week.

It will be months before we will learn how Eric will come out of this illness from a long-term basis. But as the doctors and nurses always say -- slow progress is better than no progress.

And as everyone knows -- there's no place like home!

Back to top