Funeral Arrangements Set for Boy Who Battled Brain-Eating Amoeba

Zachary Reyna will be laid to rest Saturday in LaBelle, Fla.

A 12-year-old boy who spent weeks battling a rare brain-eating amoeba will be laid to rest this weekend.

A public visitation and service for Zachary Reyna has been scheduled for Saturday at the LaBelle Middle School Gym on 8000 East Cowboy Way in LaBelle, Fla., according to a posting on Pray4Number4, a Facebook page managed by Reyna's family.

The public visitation begins at 11 a.m. and the service will follow at 1 p.m. Reyna will be buried at the LaBelle Cemetery, with a reception following at the LaBelle Middle School Cafeteria.

The Facebook page also listed the following details:

  • Flower arrangements may be sent to: Akin-Davis Funeral Homes, 560 East Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle, FL 33935
  • Donations may be sent to: Zachary Reyna Fund, PO Box 697, LaBelle, FL 33975
  • To purchase a shirt, contact Kim at Ragin Graphics at 462 S. Bridge Street, LaBelle, FL 33935

Reyna's death was announced Saturday, after he had spent weeks on a ventilator at Miami Children's Hospital, fighting the infection known as PAM, or primary amebic meningoencephalitis. He contracted the infection after his family said he had been knee boarding in a water-filled ditch near his home in LaBelle earlier this month. He was transferred to Miami Children's after being admitted to a hospital in Glades County.

The boy's organs were donated following his death.

The brain-eating amoeba that causes the infection is commonly found in warm fresh water such as lakes, rivers, canals and ponds, and its peak season runs from July through September.

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