Doctors in New Jersey Uncover the Medical Mystery Behind a Teen’s Paralysis


Doctors told a 14-year-old New Jersey girl who experienced at least six seizures and more than 100 hours of near-total paralysis that her diagnosis may be in her brain. And in a sense, it was. According to her mother, Lili Manzo suffered seronegative autoimmune limbic encephalitis, an extremely rare condition characterized by frontal lobe swelling. According to pediatric neurologist Dr. Jeffrey Kornitzer of the New Jersey Pediatric Neuroscience Institute, the cause of the rare condition, which is “very underdiagnosed,” remains unknown. Malone is on the mend and optimistic despite the difficult path she’s walking over a year after her original diagnosis. “I utilize it as a source of motivation,” Malone told NJ. “So, if I’m having a poor day, I should consider where I came from. I use it to assist me.”