A 12-year-old Arkansas girl who has been battling a rare and often-fatal infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba is now able to say a few words. 
 
 Traci Hardig, mother 12-year-old Kali Hardig, discusses her daughter's medical condition in a hallway at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark., Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013. The girl who has been... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, Traci Hardig displays plastic bracelets with her daughter's name at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark. The child has a rare brain infection. (AP... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo provided by the Hardig family Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark., Kali Hardig, 12, poses in an undated family photo. The child suffers from a rare... (Associated Press) 
 
 This April 2013 photo provided by the Hardig family on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013, shows Kali Hardig. Hardig, 12, who has been battling a rare and often-fatal infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba,... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo provided by the Hardig family Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark., Kali Hardig, 12, poses in an undated family photo. The child suffers from a rare... (Associated Press) 
 
 Kali Hardig was diagnosed last month with an infection caused by an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri. 
 
 There were 128 such infections reported in the United States between 1962 and 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before Kali, doctors could only point to one known survivor in the U.S. and another in Mexico. 
 
 So it's remarkable that Kali is alive, let alone able to say anything. 
 
 "She's not speaking normal, but she is doing wonderful trying to pronounce stuff," Kali's mother, Traci Hardig, said Wednesday. "She can say `yes' and `no.'" She's also been able to say "Hi mama," "daddy" and "nanny." 
 
 Health officials believe Kali got sick after a trip to a now-shuttered Arkansas water park that features a sandy-bottomed lake. 
 
 Naegleria fowleri (pronounced nuh-GLEER'-ee-uh FOW'-lur-ee) often is found in warm bodies of freshwater, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs. The amoeba typically enters the body through the nose as people are swimming or diving. It can then travel to the brain, causing a devastating infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM. 
 
 That's what Kali has been battling. 
 
 Initial symptoms usually start within one to seven days and may include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. The disease progresses rapidly, and other symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations. 
 
 Moreover, the infection destroys brain tissue and can cause brain swelling and death. 
 
 Doctors say Kali's success is due in large part to experimental treatment and early detection and diagnosis. 
 
 Traci Hardig brought Kali (pronounced KAY'-lee) to Arkansas Children's Hospital with a nasty fever on July 19. 
 
 Doctors cooled Kali's body down to try to reduce the swelling, and they won clearance to treat her with a breast-cancer drug. 
 
 Now, tests show no sign of the parasite in her system. 
 
 "It's still a concern that she could certainly have some deficits long-term and not function entirely as she would have if this had never happened," one of her doctors, Dr. Vikki Stefans, said. 
 
 But, for now, Kali is making progress. 
 
 "She's up and participating in all her therapy," Stefans said. "She's saying more, and things are basically looking good." 
 
 Kali also is able to take a few steps with help at the hospital. 
 
 "She'll walk across the room to her wheelchair," Traci Hardig said. "It's a real slow walk ... but we're really proud of her." 
 
 Kali will likely stay at the hospital for at least a few more weeks, and she'll be dealing with therapy for months. 
 
 But with support from her family and doctors, she's expected to do well. 
 
 "She's got half the world praying for her, too, which can't hurt," Stefans said. 
 
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 Online: 
 
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prayers-For-Kali-Le-Ann/279567398852251 
 
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 Follow Jeannie Nuss at http://twitter.com/jeannienuss ||||| The South Florida boy who has been battling a very rare infection at Miami Children's Hospital is brain dead and will be taken off life support Sunday night, according to his family. 
 
 Zachary Reyna, 12, was knee-boarding in ditch water in Glades County when he contracted Naegleria fowleri, brain-eating amoeba, through his nose. 
 
 Although antibiotics had successfully fought off the infection, Reyna suffered extensive brain damage. 
 
 The family indicated that Reyna has already "passed" after showing negative brain activity for days, but he will be kept on a ventilator until Sunday night so that his organs can be donated. 
 
 Saturday on Pray4Number4, the Facebook tribute for Reyna referencing the small number of primary amebic meningoencephalitis survivors, his father wrote: 
 
 The infection that claimed the young boy's life is very rare. 
 
 Center For Disease Control officials say there have been only 128 people infected with PAM since 1962. Only three have survived, including another Florida 12 year old who recently contacted the amoeba from a freshwater spring. 
 
 The CDC recommends diminishing risk by limiting water contact with nose (hold nose shut, use nose clips, or keep head above water), avoid water-related activities in warm freshwater during periods of high water temperatures and low water levels, and avoid stirring up bottom sediment in shallow, warm freshwater areas. 
 
 There have also been cases from use of Neti pots, in which contaminated water is used to irrigate the nose. 
 
 Clarification: A headline that appeared on another part of our website on Sunday morning indicated that Reyna was deceased, based on a family statement that he had "passed." As of Sunday afternoon, the Associated Press is reporting that the family says he has no brain activity but remains on a ventilator.
– Zachary Reyna, the 12-year-old Florida boy who was battling a brain-eating amoeba, has "passed," according to his family, and will be taken off life support later today. Reyna has shown negative brain activity for days, but is being kept on a ventilator so his organs can be donated, reports the Huffington Post. " Even though Zac has passed, he will still be saving many lives," his family wrote on his Facebook page. The boy had fought off the infection with antibiotics, but was left with brain damage. In happier news, the 12-year-old girl battling a brain-eating amoeba in Arkansas, is doing better, reports the AP. Kali Hardig has now recovered some speech, according to her parents. "She's not speaking normal, but she is doing wonderful trying to pronounce stuff," says her mother. Hardig can reportedly say "yes," "no," "hi mama," "daddy" and "nanny." "It's still a concern that she could certainly have some deficits long-term and not function entirely as she would have if this had never happened," says one of her doctors, but, she adds, "She's up and participating in all her therapy. ... She's saying more, and things are basically looking good."