Family shares warning after Kansas dad develops severe tick-borne illness
By Kate Devine
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WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — A Kansas family is sharing their story in hopes of raising awareness about tick-borne illnesses after a 25-year-old man developed a severe case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever that left him hospitalized, in a coma and facing a lengthy recovery.
Jennifer Vasquez said her fiancé, Reuben Terrell, was healthy and active before becoming sick in July 2025. Terrell had recently opened a tire shop with his father and was preparing to welcome his first child.
“My 25-year-old fiancé went from just a normal, independent individual to a coma and disabled in a matter of 72 hours,” Vasquez said.
According to Vasquez, Terrell first began showing symptoms on July 18.
“We weren’t aware that he had gotten bit by a tick. It was just a normal weekend for us,” she said. “The first day, he slept all day. That’s not like him. He’s very outgoing and loves to be outside and on the go.”
She said his condition worsened over the next two days.
“He’s in the house trying to walk, and he’s just stumbling, hitting his head on the walls, falling down to the floor and could not get up at all,” Vasquez said. “I just knew something was wrong.”
The family eventually took Terrell to the hospital. Doctors initially suspected meningitis and admitted him for further testing.
Vasquez said the situation quickly became more serious.
“They put him in ICU, and in the midst of us just trying to catch a break and finally go get food, I got a call from the charge nurse in ICU,” she said. “He said, ‘Hey, we just had to put Reuben in a medically induced coma. He just had a seizure.’”
After days of testing, doctors diagnosed Terrell with Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a bacterial disease spread through the bite of an infected tick.
“They stated that this comes from a tick bite,” Vasquez said. “In his case, they described how it infected his brain, his spine and went all throughout his body.”
Vasquez said neither she nor doctors were able to identify a tick bite or the rash commonly associated with the disease.
“There was no known tick bite on him,” she said. “We had the doctors look at his whole body, and they couldn’t find anything either.”
While Terrell remained hospitalized, Vasquez gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Zendaya.
“After Reuben went into a coma on July 21, I had my daughter Zendaya on Aug. 7,” Vasquez said. “He missed the birth, but we had the baby in the same hospital, so I felt a bit better.”
According to Vasquez, Terrell remained in a medically induced coma for two weeks before slipping into what doctors described as a natural coma.
“They came in and said, ‘He’s now in his own natural coma, and you guys are not going to get the Reuben that you once had before,’” she said.
Today, Terrell is continuing his recovery through rehabilitation in Gardner, Kansas.
“As of right now, we had to get him moved over to Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Hospital in Gardner, Kansas,” Vasquez said. “He can’t feel from mid-chest down. He’s wheelchair-bound. He no longer has the trach in, so that’s a good step for him. He’s starting to move his arms a bit more, and just this week he progressed a bit and was able to start pushing himself in the wheelchair.”
Vasquez said the family is sharing Terrell’s story to encourage others to take tick-borne illnesses seriously.
“Take it very seriously, because we think it couldn’t happen to us, and it did,” she said. “It causes severe damage throughout the whole body.”
The family said they remain hopeful as Terrell continues rehabilitation and works toward regaining more independence.
Health officials recommend checking for ticks after spending time outdoors, using insect repellent and seeking medical attention for flu-like symptoms that develop after possible tick exposure. Early treatment is critical because Rocky Mountain spotted fever can become severe if left untreated.
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