Barry Kilner

Barry (aka BJ, Bazza) Kilner and his family are in need of your help due to Barry being sidelined with a very serious health condition.

On June 3, Barry, a Locomotive Engineer was working back from Stevens Point to Superior when his Conductor noticed that he was starting to slur his words and had tremors. Upon arrival in Superior, the Transportation Supervisor got Barry to a local hospital where he began a battery of tests. They were able to rule out a number of things, but they had no idea what was causing this, so he was taken by ambulance to Duluth, where more tests were run.

Over the past few weeks Barry has undergone many MRI's, CT Scans, and tests. He was diagnosed with Meningoencephalitis and severe Cerebellitis. His condition is quite rare, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester only sees 1 to 2 cases per year.

Despite massive amounts of antibiotics and antivirals, his condition deteriorated to the point where he was moved to the Neurotrauma ICU where he was under the care of a Neurologist and a Infectious Disease Control Specialist. While in the ICU he slowly started to improve and was moved from the ICU to inpatient rehabilitation located at Miller Dwan. Barry will continue to be a patient there until he completes his rehab.

Today June 22, Barry had his first real intense day of rehab, which right now could last up to four weeks, more or less depending on how well he does.

Barry's goal is to return to work as a Locomotive Engineer and we all hope that he will accomplish this very soon. There is no set date as to when this will happen.

Any amount that you can give will be deeply appreciated. Please share this on your Facebook page.