A Mesa family dealing with a medical mystery is finding support from the community.
Luke Fanning, 12, has been in the hospital for 62 days. He's now completing his recovery at Phoenix Children's Hospital after his headaches lead to a seizure, a brain aneurysm, and a medically induced coma.
"All I remember is just waking up, walking in to her (mom's) room, complaining that I had a really, really, really bad headache, and just blacking out," Luke said.
Doctors had to put him in a medically induced coma that lasted nine days so that the swelling in his brain could heal.
Until this day, doctors don’t know what caused his illness.
“There was no nothing that led us to it, just some headaches and him not feeling well a few months prior to it," said Mary Fanning, Luke's mother.
When he woke up, couldn’t speak or move his left side.
But on the second day, his birthday, he spoke to his sister.
"She said, "I love you, Luke,' and he said, ‘I love you.' And that was the beginning of our healing," Mary said.
From there, his recovery has been slow, but positive.
He’s learning to reuse his left side, and he won’t return to school for a few months.
What he misses the most?
“Hanging out with friends and family," Luke said.
His school, Crismon Elementary School in Mesa, has come together to plan a community carnival and donation drive they're calling "Fighting for Luke" to support Luke and his family.
The event will be March 26 at Dobson High School in Mesa from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission is free, but they are accepting $10 donations for wristbands to participate in activities. There will be food vendors, music, games, an Easter egg hunt, bounce houses, a rock wall and more.
Luke will be out of the hospital Friday, and plans to attend the event with his family.
