Texas mother shares daughter's hantavirus story as new outbreak draws global medical attention
Eight years later, Julie Barron‑Wells still struggles with the loss of her daughter, Kiley Lane.
"Anytime you have to relive that loss, it's not fun. It's hard," Barron‑Wells told CBS News Texas. "As a mom, I'm just proud of the person that she was, and even telling her story again today makes me very proud."
As she reflects on her daughter's death, new cases of hantavirus are drawing national attention. Two Texans were aboard a cruise ship now linked to an outbreak that has killed three people and produced several confirmed and suspected cases.
Lane was 27 when she died in 2018 after contracting hantavirus. Barron‑Wells said her daughter, who was also a mom, first experienced severe abdominal pain, followed by fever and difficulty breathing. She said Lane went to the emergency room multiple times before doctors began to take her symptoms seriously. It took 10 days for doctors to diagnose her with the virus.
"It was excruciating," Barron‑Wells said. "There's really not anything you can do except for hold her hand and pray."
A rare virus with devastating impact
Lane spent 72 days in the hospital before she died. Barron‑Wells said her family still does not know exactly how she contracted the virus.
"I think a lot of people were just in shock and awe because she was a healthy 27‑year‑old mom and newlywed, and there wasn't a thing, and there wasn't any kind of idea that she would get anything and pass away so suddenly," said Barron‑Wells.
New cases raise fresh concerns
On Thursday, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed that two Texans were among the passengers aboard the MV Hondius, the cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak in the Atlantic Ocean. At least three people have died. Health officials said there are five confirmed cases and at least eight suspected cases tied to the outbreak. Doctors around the world – and in Texas – are watching closely.
"We're not sure exactly how it spread here," said David Winter, a doctor at Baylor Scott & White Health. "You don't usually get it from person to person; you get it from being around rats, so think that's a big thing. Be careful when you're around rats, for sure, but you shouldn't worry in crowds at this point, because we've not seen that in the past, and this virus has been around for a long time."
Keeping Kiley's legacy alive
While there are still many questions about hantavirus, Barron‑Wells said she hopes Kiley's story will help raise awareness and encourage more research.
"Kiley's legacy has not gone without helping a lot of people," said Barron‑Wells. "Her story is still important, and I know that somehow, someway, keeping her story alive is going to help make a difference."
