Ron Schoenfeld, is a West Nile Virus survivor who lives roughly a half mile from Hen Island in Rye Neck NY. Ron, 73, and his wife Isabel were traveling in Canada mere days after he was bite by a mosquito carrying the virus in his own backyard. Mr. Schoenfeld spent weeks in a coma after the mosquito borne virus caused encephalitis.

After the first hospital was unable to determine Mr. Schoenfeld’s illness, he was airlifted by a medevac team to another as his wife was informed by doctors that his survival was unlikely. As West Nile Virus is not well known in Canada, Ron was only correctly diagnosed after his daughter, a licensed nurse, specifically requested West Nile Virus testing after realizing her father lived in a high risk area.

Miraculously, just as Isabel was preparing for a funeral service, Ron began to come out of the coma and showed signs of improvement. His battle with West Nile Virus was only beginning, as it would take years of what he describes as “infinitesimal progress” while still coping with long term disabilities. Today, Schoenfeld has taken on an advocacy role through media interviews, his personal testimony (which includes an appearance before the Rye City Council in August of 2014) and his participation in this film.