URGENT WARNING: Man Died from Tick-Borne Virus After His ‘Brain Had Blown Up’

May 31, 2025

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From People.com: As the weather gets warmer, one Massachusetts family is sharing their heartbreaking story as a warning to others about a debilitating tick-borne disease.

In April 2024, Kevin Boyce was unknowingly bitten by a tick. He started experiencing headaches, vomiting and other flu-like symptoms that rapidly progressed. Days later, the 62-year-old collapsed in his home and was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors diagnosed Kevin with Powassan virus, a rare and dangerous tick-borne disease.

Powassan virus is rare but the number of cases has significantly increased in the past decade. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking, and seizures. Severe cases can lead to inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or spinal cord (myelitis). About 10% of these advanced cases are fatal, according to Yale Medicine.

In an interview with CBS Boston, Erin Boyce recalled her brother getting extremely sick after being bitten by a tick in April 2024. She said Keven was treated in the ICU, but ultimately suffered severe brain damage from the disease.

“His brain had blown up so much, from the encephalitis, and he had really bad brain damage. It was horrifying, but we knew what Kevin would want, so you know, we just had to let him go,” Erin said.

Kevin Boyce left behind a wife, two sons, and a granddaughter.

People.com shared tips on how to avoid being bitten by ticks:

To prevent exposure to ticks, according to the National Institutes of Health, wear clothing that covers your arms and legs and tuck your pants into your socks or put tape around openings in clothing. Wear light-colored clothing so you can see if a tick is on you. When you are in the woods, keep to the center of the trail, since ticks tend to like shrubs and bushes. Use a chemical repellent with DEET, permethrin or picaridin.

WATCH the CBS News report below, as Boyce’s family speaks out to warn others.