Chiranjeevi Kula, a 37-year-old Indian man, died in California after a month-long battle with valley fever, his family said through a fundraiser. In April, Chiranjeevi came down with what looked like the common flu, but his condition continued to worsen and he went to the emergency room, his cousin Rama Koteswara Rao said.
Doctors suspected a case of severe pneumonia, but after tests, valley fever was confirmed. Chiranjeevi is survived by his wife Bhavani Marella and five-year-old son Vihaan.“The doctors did everything medicine can do. After thirty long days of machines, monitors and prayer, his exhausted body was no longer able to fight,” the fundraiser said, describing valley fever as a fungal infection caused by coccidiosis, which is caught from the air in California soil.
“Most people who get it never know. In his case, his lungs flooded,” his cousin wrote.“Chiranjeevi was the heart of his family and the primary breadwinner. His death not only leaves Bhavani grieving for the love of her life, but suddenly facing the full weight of the family on her own — the mortgage, daily life with a 5-year-old, hospital bills from a month-long ICU stay, and final rites that the family hopes to honor in both California and India,” the fundraising raid said.
“If you knew Chiranjeevi, you already know what we have lost. He was the kind of person who never raised his voice, never cut a corner, and never made anyone feel small. He gave his best for two things: the company he worked for, and the family he had back. Everyone who worked with him respected him. Everyone who knew him loved him.”
What is valley fever? ? Is it very common in the United States?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, valley fever is a lung infection caused by inhaling spores of the fungus Coccidioides, which lives in the soil in some areas of the southwestern United States.
And south-central Washington state. Usually, people who develop valley fever get better on their own, but the disease is often misdiagnosed, delaying treatment.In the United States, coccidioides live in soil and dust in the Southwest and parts of the Pacific Ocean. Historically, valley fever is common in Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico, according to the CDC. It is most common in California and Arizona. About 20,000 cases of valley fever have been reported in the United States.