A mystery illness has a South Florida mother worried for her son's health.
Right now Belle Sealey's son Reggie is lying in his hospital bed at Jackson Memorial, a ventilator helping him breathe.
"It's a shock when you see your son lying there, or your child, it's not something that you expect to see," Belle Sealey said.
Doctors and disease experts trying to sort out what happened to the Miami-Dade man so they can get him back on his feet and prevent this from happening to anyone else.
The first report from doctors outside the U.S., where Reggie was traveling, was that he had dengue fever.
"He had been diagnosed in the DR with dengue fever and malaria," said Belle Sealey.
Reggie Sealey is an experienced commercial airline pilot, and his recent trip took him from Miami over to Africa. Then he went to Amsterdam and the Caribbean before being brought to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital once he got extremely sick.
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The normally very healthy pilot, who is twice a year thoroughly checked by the government, is now out, flat on his back.
"You would think that he would not necessarily be susceptible to what could potentially be there, but it can happen to anybody and when you go over there, you gotta go prepared and understand what you're up against," said brother Steve Sealey
Dengue fever became a concern in South Florida when Monroe county reported more than 15 cases this summer. Traps were set to kill the mosquitoes which carry the disease that brings high fever, joint pain and can be fatal.
Reggie's family is speaking out to warn the public the potential danger when you travel. If you must go into areas where dengue or other mosquito borne illnesses are present avoid outdoor activities when they are present and wear protective clothing.
The family says the CDC and Miami-Dade County Health Department will be meeting to see exactly what happened to Reggie Sealey.
For more info on preventing dengue, click here.
