RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Laiken Debusk is thankful her 7-year-old son, Aiden, is still alive.
"Last time, I was standing above his hospital room, and he couldn't even come down," Debusk said. "It's beautiful. We still get to have a journey."
Last summer, Aiden was bitten by a tick, and he contracted an illness that made him sick with seizures. The symptoms were so bad that Arkansas Children's Hospital doctors placed him in an induced coma.
"[It] definitely is a new way of life... he's on five medications twice a day," Debusk said. "They make him dizzy... make him lash out sometimes. They make him gain weight, but aside from all that, we are grateful and thankful he is still here."
Almost one year later, Aiden is doing much better and loves to run and play. When he grows up, he wants to be a firefighter, police officer, or pilot.
"I want to be a leader someday," Aiden said.
By being a leader, Aiden wants to ensure others know how to protect themselves when playing outside.
"Some are bad ticks, and some are not," Aiden said. "Ask a grown-up or a doctor to get it off... or the hospital."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using repellent containing 20% or more DEET to prevent tick bites, covering your arms and legs, checking your body when you get inside and using tweezers to remove the tick.
Debusk said if you remove a tick, you can keep it folded in tape if a doctor needs to test it for a tick-borne illness.