Ortonville- Mary Ann Quisenberry survived a battle with cancer a few years ago, but the healthy, vibrant 81-year-old met a foe she couldn’t beat in late August? a mosquito.
Quisenberry died Sept. 14, after more than two weeks in the hospital and nearly three weeks after she first began exhibiting flu symptoms. The Oakland County Health Division announced last week that an 81-year-old woman from Oakland County died due to complications from West Nile Virus (WNV). Mary Ann Quisenberry’s family has confirmed the woman who died was their mother and grandmother.
‘I was certain she would outlive me, but a tiny, ugly little insect brought down our matriarch,? said Katie (Quisenberry) Allen, Mary Ann’s granddaughter. ‘I have to hold on to legends never die, and Ortonville is a better place because she lived there.?
While this is the first human WNV-related death in Oakland County since 2003 and the first this year in Michigan, Oakland County Health Division Manager Kathy Forzley said there have been two other confirmed cases in the county this year, and the virus was also identified in a blood donor who had no symptoms.
‘Many people are exposed but never know, because they have mild symptoms, or no symptoms,? she said. ‘West Nile Virus is present in Oakland County and the state of Michigan and everyone needs to be prepared and take steps to protect yourself when in the outdoors, especially between dusk and dawn or in shaded or wooded areas… It’s very, very important to understand identifying a particular location is not what we want to do, because it gives unnecessary fear as well as a false sense of security. We will never know where (victims) were exposed, we are a very mobile society.?
Mary Ann Quisenberry moved to Brandon Township in 1970 with her husband Thomas and their seven children. She had just recently moved to a duplex in the village, choosing to downsize after the death of her husband many years earlier, but wanting to stay in the community she loved and in which many of her family members remained. Mary Ann was also very active, walking daily through the village, working a few days a week at an Irish gift shop in Lake Orion and was involved with St. Anne Catholic Church. She participated in the Bookin? It for Your Library 5K in May and had plans to run in last weekend’s Brooksie Way 5K. However, on Aug. 26, Ted Quisenberry took his mom, who was not recovering from flu symptoms she had been exhibiting for a few days and now seemed confused as well, to the hospital.
West Nile Virus commonly has flu-like symptoms? a fever that persists more than a few days, headache, and a sensitivity to light. It can be accompanied by confusion, memory loss and stupor, a result of brain inflammation.
The incubation period for West Nile Virus, carried by birds, which mosquitoes bite and then transmit to humans, is 3-21 days. People who are over the age of 50 are more susceptible to the virus, due to weakened immune systems from age.
‘Most people who have mild illness don’t seek out medical care,? said Forzley. ‘If you have an illness going from mild to worse, no matter what the illness, those are the times we encourage people to pick up the phone and consult with their physician.?
Mary Ann Quisenberry spent much of her time in the hospital unconscious, but woke one memorable day, displaying clarity and some of her wit so cherished by her family. When she was encouraged to drink water through a straw, she replied, ‘The only thing I drink through a straw is vodka and tonic.?
Katie, who lives in Colorado, was able to talk to her Grandma on the phone that day and convey her love. It was the last time she would speak with her grandmother, as Mary Ann fell back into a coma from which she never woke.
While her family mourns her death, they hope that sharing the reason for their loss will lead others to take precautions against a similar tragedy. Forzley reminds residents mosquitoes remain active into October prior to a few hard frosts and it is best to take extra steps to ensure safety, including making sure screens are in good repair and wearing long sleeves and insect repellant when outside.
Ted Quisenberry said his mom taught her kids to live life to the fullest and that is what she did.
‘She’d rather be with us, but she will be looking down and happy to know she is remembered,? he said.