Hot Links: Attack of the brain-eating amoebas, Homemade toddler wheelchair, Dogs rescued from the flood

The waters were rough as we cast our nets, calling to mind the old sailor’s proverb: Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at at night, Rapper’s Delight:

Fourth brain-eating amoeba case of the year being treated – (CNN.com)

The fourth occurrence this year of a rare brain-eating parasite has been discovered in Florida. The parasite lives in warm, fresh water, can reach your brain through your nose, and has a 97% fatality rate:

The parasite is almost always deadly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1962 and 2015 there were 138 known cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, the infection caused by the amoeba, and only three of those patients survived. Individuals become infected when swimming in warm freshwater, such as a lake or river. The amoeba enters the nose and then goes to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue, causing swelling and death. Symptoms begin between one and nine days after exposure and include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. It can be confused with meningitis at first. Then a stiff neck, seizures and hallucinations begin as the infection becomes worse. Those infected die between one and 18 days after symptoms begin.

Worried Dad Builds His Sick Daughter An Awesome Custom Wheelchair For $100 – (Littlethings.com)

Evelyn Moore was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at just 4 months. The condition has left her paralyzed from the arms down and will require her to use a wheelchair. This thrifty dad built one himself:

Evelyn has been in remission for the last three months, but the toddler is paralyzed from the arms down due to a spinal tumor. After seeing how expensive custom-made wheelchairs are, Evelyn’s dad, Brad, was worried for his little girl. He couldn’t afford to spend a ton of money, but he also wanted her to be able to really get around. He came up with the perfect solution. No one knew his baby girl better than him, so he’d make her a wheelchair for a fraction of the cost! After seeing a design on Pinterest, Brad told his wife, Kimberly, that he could make their daughter the wheelchair. For $100, Evelyn’s dad was able to make the wheelchair with a cutting board, castor wheels, and a Bumbo chair! The Bumbo chair is a perfect touch for helping to keep their daughter comfy.

Heroes Spot Exhausted Pit Bulls Who’d Been Stranded In Floodwaters For 16 Hours – (Littlethings.com)

There’s a video up of two men boating through the floods in Louisiana and rescuing dogs that look as though their strength was about to give out:

Volunteer rescuers like Mike Anderson and Darrell Watson have been searching for any signs of life, riding through the floodwaters and risking their lives to save whoever they can. So far, they’ve rescued nearly 100 lives, both human and animal. Recently, Mike and Darrell found two pit bulls struggling to survive in four feet of water. Mike says there’s a good chance they were in the water for up to 16 hours. Not only are Mike and Darrell searching for more lives to save, but they’ve also volunteered to foster the two pit bulls, should the animal shelters be too full to hold them.