PEABODY, Mass. — When Kaitlyn Louzada went to visit her grandparents in Brazil, she contracted a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down and her immune system weak.

Now, Louzada is stuck in Brazil until her family can find a way to pay for the $100,000 medical flight back to Massachusetts. 

Louzada — who her mother describes as a strong and healthy girl — had just finished eighth grade and celebrated her 14th birthday on June 22. On June 26, she flew from her home in northeastern Massachusetts to Brazil with her father and two younger siblings, while her mom Kelly stayed home for work.

The next day at the airport, Louzada collapsed at the baggage claim area. “We thought it was nothing,” Kelly Louzada said. But her husband Eddie still took her to see a doctor a couple of days later — a week before they had left home, she came down with a stomach bug and was still recovering.

Her father took her to see a specialist in Brazil, who recognized the symptoms as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which a person’s immune system attacks the nervous system.

From there, Kelly Louzada said, father and daughter drove four hours into the city to another hospital, where doctors ran another battery of tests over three days before they could confirm the diagnosis.

“She was just getting worse,” Kelly Louzada said. Within a short time, the paralysis had spread throughout Louzada’s body, leaving her unable to move — barely able to talk or eat. “She had a convulsion. She almost died… My husband thought she was going to die in front of him.”

In severe cases, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the symptoms of Guillain-Barre can cause a person to become almost totally paralyzed. It can be life-threatening, interfering with breathing, blood pressure and heart rate.

The disorder affects just one in 100,000 people. It’s unknown what causes it, and there is no cure.

The National Institute says Guillain-Barre usually occurs a few days or weeks after a patient has had symptoms of a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection. It could also be triggered by surgery. In rare instances, vaccinations can increase the risk of contracting it.

Since the diagnosis, Louzada’s condition has stabilized, Kelly Louzada said, and some of the paralysis has receded. Doctors were able to give her medication to stimulate her immune system, and she can now talk normally and move her arm.

However, Louzada’s immune system is still weak and flying would be dangerous, making her vulnerable to respiratory infection, her mother said, leaving the family stuck in Brazil with no way to safely get Louzada home.

Kelly Louzada explained that she and her husband, who are dual citizens of the U.S. and Brazil, have health insurance in both countries. Their MassHealth insurance would cover Kaitlyn’s treatment in Boston, but MassHealth can’t pay for the out-of-country medical flight.

The family has tried the U.S. consulate and state department as well, to no avail.

“Mom, I’m sad for two things,” Louzada said in a recent phone conversation with her mom. “First, I’m not enjoying my vacation and I’m going to have to go to high school in a wheelchair.”

Her mother’s reply: Don’t worry about that and instead just be glad you’re alive.

Lorena Goncalves, a family friend and church member, helped start a fundraising page through the crowdfunding site GoFundMe to raise money for the Louzadas to pay for the flight home. The flight is estimated to cost $80,000 to $100,000.

After two days, the online campaign has raised more than $13,000.

“The community is so generous,” said Kelly Louzada, noting she didn’t know what GoFundMe was prior to this.

In the meantime, Louzada will begin some physical therapy on Monday in Brazil, and when she returns she will face extensive rehab that could last years.

While there is no cure for Guillain-Barre, there are therapies that can lessen the severity of the paralysis and accelerate recovery. Most people recover eventually, although in some cases there is lingering paralysis.

“She has to relearn how to do everything,” Goncalves said. “Some people never get back to normal.” 

Once she’s back in the United States, Louzada will remain hospitalized in Boston and then transfer to a specialty rehab clinic.

Castelluccio writes for the Salem, Massachusetts News.