As soon as the doctors spotted the amoeba on a spinal tap, they reached out to a pharmaceutical company called Profounda, which is the sole US distributor of Impavido, a drug that has shown promise in treating PAM.
They then put Deleon in a medically-induced coma to slow the infection and give the medication a chance to work. After about 72 hours in a coma, Deleon was able to breathe on his own and speak within hours of having his breathing tube removed.
Deleon made it to the list of survivors, but recovery was still a long road ahead.
The first two years were the toughest. Due to swelling in his brain, he had lost most of his motor skills. He went to a rehabilitation center where he learned how to walk, write, and perform basic tasks again. He has since made a full recovery.
