WILLIAMSON CO., Tenn. (WTVF) — A 19-year-old college athlete from Williamson County nearly died from histoplasmosis after doctors initially misdiagnosed her condition for two months.
Cami Carpenter was a healthy college athlete when she contracted mono at school in August. She returned home to Williamson County to recover, but instead of getting better, she became progressively sicker.
"I got through preseason, and then I got super sick and couldn't do anything," Carpenter said.
For two months, Carpenter visited multiple doctors who tested her for various conditions, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, mono relapse and strep throat. None of the tests provided answers.
"They just could not figure out what would make a 19-year-old this sick," Carpenter said. "We weren't trying to go to the ER because all these doctors had seen me. They're telling me it's nothing to be worried about."
Only when Carpenter's face turned a jaundiced yellow and her organs began shutting down, did doctors discover the real cause. Her lungs were filling with fluid, and she was diagnosed with histoplasmosis, a fungal infection commonly found in Middle Tennessee.
"Finally, they went into her lungs to get a sample to see what it was," Carpenter said.
The diagnosis came almost too late. Carpenter spent more than a month in the ICU fighting for her life.
"When they put the bypass on me, I still feel like I couldn't breathe, and I was so... It sounds bad, but I was just so ready to go to heaven," she said. "I was on the road to heaven October 31. I was supposed to go, so it's so weird thinking about it, cause like I'm OK and the Lord saved me."
Her mother, Kyla, stayed by her side throughout the ordeal.
"It was really scary to watch how fast we could've lost her," Kyla said.
Carpenter is now home but still recovering. She takes medicine multiple times daily while doctors monitor fungal levels in her brain. There's a possibility she could need to return to the hospital.
"I go on walks, but that's the most activity I can do right now," Carpenter said.
The college-bound athlete had to medically withdraw from school due to her condition.
Carpenter's case is part of a larger investigation by the Tennessee Department of Health into a rise in histoplasmosis infections in Williamson and Maury counties. There are now more than 20 cases being investigated.
Carpenter reached out to share her story after learning about another family's similar experience. Amy O'Neal previously spoke about her son's near-death experience with histoplasmosis.
"I think that's the hardest thing is knowing that at some point, we could've lost our son because of something just not being a common test they do," O'Neal said.
Now Carpenter hopes her survival story will help save others by raising awareness about the disease.
"Go right away, test for these fungus because in our case we didn't, and none of the doctors knew either," she said. "If they would've tested for the fungus, then none of this would've happened."
"I was at the point of death, but the Lord saved me doctors did too, but the doctors didn't know at first," she added.
Doctors say serious cases of histoplasmosis are rare, which is why many providers first test for more common ailments such as colds, flu or strep throat.
Carpenter encourages others to ask their doctors to specifically test for histoplasmosis if they have persistent symptoms that don't respond to typical treatments.
If you or someone you know has been affected by this outbreak or has a similar medical story, email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
"This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
