obviously, this is very rare. 32 cases between 2001-2010, i believe. but what are her doctors doing to try to save her? seems in cases this rare, they don t have time to do a lot of experimental drugs and stuff like that, not a lot of people to test them on. reporter: this hospital has really done an amazing job. from the very beginning, first of all, kali s mom was smart and brought her in when she was having a headache and feeling tired. instead of just saying, kids get viruses, it s nothing, they took it very seriously and they diagnosed the meningitis. they looked in her spinal fluid and they could see amoebas running around. swimming around in that spinal fluid. so, erin, what they did is, they were very smart. again, they reached out to the cdc. they heard that the centers for disease control had an experimental drug and they gave it to her and because her mom got her there so quickly, it actually worked and they looked in her spinal fluid and they don t see the amoebas anymore
that we were going to lose kali, but we decided that we weren t going to accept that and we were going to start praying and hopefully our daughter would beat the odds. that s all we had to hang onto. reporter: now, kali is still in critical condition, but she is showing some signs of improvement. they are even able to back off some of the medications they ve been giving her. erin? that is pretty incredible. makes you think of the other case we ve been following, with the zip line, 98% chance of not surviving and she survived. obviously, this is very rare. 32 cases between 2001-2010, i believe. but what are her doctors doing to try to save her? seems in cases this rare, they don t have time to do a lot of experimental drugs and stuff like that, not a lot of people to test them on. reporter: this hospital has really done an amazing job. from the very beginning, first of all, kali s mom was smart and brought her in when she was having a headache and feeling
him and his fiance in the act, after stealing the luggage, some of which contained valuable clothing. the fiance reportedly returned many of the items to nordstrom, receiving $5,000 in return. both are now out on bail and both have been charged with three felony counts including grand theft. erin? wow. $5,000 incredible. all right, thank you, rene. tonight in arkansas, a young girl is battling a deadly brain-eating amoeba. doctors believe kali hardig may have been infected at a local water park, which has been linked to the illness once before and would have served as an ideal petrie dish for a rare pair diet. this kills 99% of those who contract it. there s an experimental new treatment that could be the key to saving kali s life, if that miracle happens. our medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is outfront. i know you spoke with kali s mother, so, what did she tell you? reporter: she told me they
tonight in arkansas, a young girl is battling a deadly brain-eating amoeba. doctors believe kali hardig may have been infected at a local water park, which has been linked to the illness once before and would have served as an ideal petrie dish for a rare pair diet. this kills 99% of those who contract it. there s an experimental new treatment that could be the key to saving kali s life, if that miracle happens. our medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is outfront. i know you spoke with kali s mother, so, what did she tell you? reporter: she told me they really are taking it one day at a time. they are feeling some hope, because she does seem to be getting better. in the beginning, she said, they were just devastated when they first got the diagnosis. my husband asked, what was the prognosis for this amoeba and he explained to us that there was not a cure for the amoeba. we just both couldn t believe
improvement. they are even able to back off some of the medications they ve been giving her. erin? that is pretty incredible. makes you think of the other case we ve been following, with the zip line, 98% chance of not surviving and she survived. obviously, this is very rare. 32 cases between 2001-2010, i believe. but what are her doctors doing to try to save her? seems in cases this rare, they don t have time to do a lot of experimental drugs and stuff like that, not a lot of people to test them on. reporter: this hospital has really done an amazing job. from the very beginning, first of all, kali s mom was smart and brought her in when she was having a headache and feeling tired. instead of just saying, kids get viruses, it s nothing, they took it very seriously and they diagnosed the meningitis. they looked in her spinal fluid and they could see amoebas retu running around. so, erin, what they did is, they were very smart. again, they reached out to the cdc. they heard that th