nightline is next. goodnight. tonight, the medical mystery. >> i love you. >> i love you too, buddy. >> paralyzing hundreds of children. leaving them defenseless, but not defeated. families clinging to hope. >> it's hard to see my kid not be able to be a kid, like he was before. that's hard. >> now the race to unravel the mystery, and the innovative surgery that may change one child's life and give other families hope. >> wroe'll take good care of hi. >> this special edition of "nightline," "fighting to survive" starts right now. >> good evening, thanks for joining us. tonight, imagine watching a bizarre illness attack your child. it's a rare polio-like mystery the doctors are desperately trying to solve.

for nearly two years, we followed three families as they grapple with this horrifying reality. here's abc's chief medical correspondent, dr. jen ashton. >> here you go. >> reporter: this is the hill family's last hope. one for their 8-year-old son quinton. getting ready for a potentially life-changing surgery. after a mysterious illness changed his life forever and left him partially paralyzed overnight. >> he was unable to move his neck, his arm or he had a really hard time walking. it was pretty scary. >> you feelin' all right? >> yeah. >> reporter: this moment may not just define quinton's future. >> can you give me a mask please. >> reporter: but the futures of children like him across the country, looking for answers. >> here we go, buddy, hold my hand. >> reporter: and hope.

>> a medical mystery. >> the scariest part of this is how little we know about it. >> reporter: as the country struggles to contain the covid-19 epidemic, medical experts are sounding the alarm that another outbreak is hiding in the shadows. 2020 is expected to be another peak year for a disease known for acute flaccid my lightis or alm. it attacks a child's nervous system, akin to polio. >> there is no reason for me not to expect an outbreak in 2020. >> reporter: tonight, we take you inside this medical mystery. the race to find a cure. >> i was probably one of the very first cases of it. >> reporter: we go inside the hospital's innovative healing therapies. and we're with the families of children already stricken as they fight for their future. >> as a mom, i just want to, like, help hem. i couldn't do anything for him.

>> you always feel like something is going to happen at any given time. >> that thing, you built that? how long did that take you? >> about two weeks. >> reporter: when you first meet 8-year-old quinton hill, it's hard to miss his playfulness and good nature. >> ever since he was little, you can put him in a corner with anything and he'll play with it, like he'll entertain himself. >> reporter: you guys just must think, this is so easy, we're the best parents. >> i won't going to lie, i remember seeing friends and family having a hard time and i was like, i've got life too easy. >> reporter: but in september of 2018, life got a lot more complicated. >> we at church, and he started complaining that he just had a little bit of a sore throat, the beginning signs of a cold. went from a cold to a flu symptoms to all of a sudden

like, dad, i can't move my arms. >> i was sick, i wanted to get off the couch. >> reporter: he would spend two grueling weeks in the hospital, undergoi undergoing dozens of tests. it was that second week that you heard the term afm? >> yes. >> no known cure, no known treatment. don't know how it spreads. >> reporter: what neither the hills nor the doctors knew was that quinton was part of 2018 outbreak of afm. >> reporter: it would affect at least 238 children in 42 states. >> the word acute refers to how quickly the symptoms come on. and we have seen children go from normal to paralyzed in a matter of hours. >> reporter: a neurologist at the university of texas southwestern, dr. greenburg, has researched this rare illness for nearly a decade. and while the cdc has only been

tracking cases since 2014, he knows it has been here longer. >> it's a life-changing event for the entire family. this turns worlds upside down. >> he's my buddy, you know? he's still my buddy, he ain't changed, but i know he just can't run up and hug me. that's what i miss the most. >> wow, that is so cool, buddy. >> reporter: we first met camden carr and his family in october 2018. >> i can do did. >> reporter: afm would devastate the 3-year-old's small body, leaving him severely paralyzed. unable to afford a home nursing aide, the brunt of camden's care has fallen on his parents, chris and brittany. >> medicate, switch his bed out and brittany. >> medicate, switch his bed out from a normal childhood b

>> hey, daddy, daddy. >> what's wrong? >> i love you. >> i love you too, buddy. >> reporter: i know this is hard, chris, but how has afm changed your son? >> every way, shape or form you can imagine. he can't use the bathroom on his own. can't scratch his own nose, arm. imate only certified caregiver. i'm the only person who can do anything in an emergency situation for him. if i mess up, you know, my son passes away, it's on my shoulders, no one else's. >> reporter: fo >> reporter: for children like camden, the damage is permanent, present ago leave time of challenges, but they're not impossible to overcome. as one of the earliest afm patients, sarah todd hammer has been through it all.

>> over ten years ago, i was 8 years old, and i couldn't move even a single toe, and now here i am 18 years old and heading off to college. it is extraordinary, honestly. >> reporter: at the time of her diagnosis in 2010, doctors knew even less about afm and diagnosed her with a different disease. >> it's really difficult having something that doctors don't seem to have the answers for. no one really knew how to treat me, and so i decided to go visit dr. greenburg in texas, and he rediagnosed me with afm. >> reporter: the study of early cases like sarah todd's have allowed doctors to pin point the cause, the likely culprit is a virus, called virus d 68. >> why is it causing paralysis in this way? part of it is it has mutated.

>> reporter: u.s. cases spike every other year during the fall months. there have been outbreaks in 2014, 2016 and 2018. this year will be no different. and while there's no cure, doctors hope public awareness will help minimize the spread of afm. and sarah todd is doing her part. >> hi, guys, it's sarah welco todd, welcome back to my youtube channel. >> reporter: she helps others navigate the challenge of the illnesses. >> you can have a great life no matter what, and i don't think having a disability can stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. >> reporter: it's that spirit of perseverance that has propelled sarah, despite the difficulties, she's learned to drive. >> there you go.

>> reporter: sarah todd's journey, perhaps a sfwlglimmer hope for young afm patients. after quinton's diagnosis, he was sent home and began exercising to strength his right side. >> it's hard as a parent to see all that atrophy, and when he has his shirt off and the one side of his body is super, super bony and the other side, he's showing me how strong he is. show me your muscle on the right side. yeah. now show me your curl on your left side. t eafm's difficult to treat.may it turns off the nerve in the spinal cord. medically speaking, right now we don't have ack on that circuit switch in the spinal cord. >> surgery takes about two hours. >> reporter: dr. mitchell suryea

is a doctor with children's hospital los angeles. he and his team have pioneered an innovative surgery to reconnect paralyzed limbs to the pine. >> it's daunting for families. medically it's not as though we can take a pill or injection and it turns back on. so then you get to nerve treatment. >> reporter: in many cases, children have regained some mobility to their arms and legs. now he's planning to try that surgery on quinton. but success isn't guaranteed. when we come back, the surgery that could change quinton's life. ♪ i had this hundred thousand dollar student debt. two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in debt. ah, sofi literally changed my life. it was the easiest application process. sofi made it so there's no tradeoff between my dreams and paying student loans. student loans don't have to take over

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quinton hill has undergone months of intensive physical therapy. his left arm was paralyzed by acute flaccid myelitis or afm, that striefkes and paralyzes children every other year. for quinton's parents, erica and

james, the past year has been a heartbreaking and endless storm to navigate. >> all right, here we go. >> reporter: but they've come across an innovative nerve transplant surgery that has given them hope. it could restore movement in quinton's elbow and shoulder. dr. mitchell seruya and his team in los angeles have successfully operated on at least 40 afm patients, but the surge are you can take ten hours. >> you can't just cut a section of nerve out and splice it in. it's like turning offer t the p to the house with a circuit breaker. it's like electrical engineering for the human. >> the hardest part for me is the unknown. i want him to be as functional as possible, right? and just the day that he can raise both arms and give me a two-armed hug, that will be a happy day. >> reporter: it's quinton's surgery day.

>> how are you filing, q? >> good. >> are you ready to do this? >> hm-mm. >> love you so much. >> reporter: for quinton, the reality is setting in. >> we'll take good care of him. >> the goal today is about stealing nerves from other areas to power up his shoulder to give him the overhead reach that he needs. so we're going to mark out shoulder first, in terms of our shoulder incision. the leading edge of the pec, i'll mark an incision here. the last area to consider is the ribs. >> reporter: before surgery, dr. seruya preps a few different areas, marking where he will look for strong nerves. >> so it's quite an ordeal. we have a lot on our plate, and we'll basically get started. >> reporter: during the operation, dr. seruya determines the strongest attorney nerves are in quinton's chest. he then takes those functioningg

nerves and connects them to the damaged nerves. signals are >> probably the longest day ever. >> one of the hardest days. >> reporter: he tells the family the surgery did not go as well as he would like. while he was able to transplant and connect nerves, there weren't enough strong nerves to connect his shoulder. quinton will have to have a second surgery. >> i'm disappointed in the fact that i couldn't do more for him. >> unfortunately, we found out that the weakness caused by afm had been more wide spread than we initially thought. wanted to bounce back strong for q and just remember that everything happens for a reason, right? and that whatever we can get back we will. >> reporter: as fall approaches, the centers for disease

prefecture a prevention and control have identified 16 cases so far this year, the centers have recognized two deaths related to the disease. and this year, there's the increased concern of the covid-19 pandemic. what things are you specifically concerned about this season with respect to afm? >> this season's going to be unlike any other because of what we're seeing with the covid pandemic. one of our concerns is as kiddos come to the emergency room with respiratory symptoms everyone is testing appropriately for the coronavirus, but we have to test for other viruses as well. in this case, we are reminding our colleagues not to just des for the coronavirus but other viruses that could be related to afm. >> reporter: what are signs and symptoms parents should be on the lookout for. >> the thing to remember is often there is a preceding respiratory illness. a common cold, but

99.99999 -- keep going -- percent of colds, will never result in afm. it's afterwards, if you ever have a child who either shows symptoms of weakness, complains of weakness, or notice thaor not aren't using an arm or leg in the same way they normally do, that should definitely prompt you to seek medical attention to get an evaluation. >> reporter: 4-year-old camden carr and his family have been dealing with the effects of afm for nearly two years. while camden's condition has improved, it is clear his young life and body have been forever changed. >> to take care of someone who needs round-the-clock medical and nursing care is expensive. what kind of toll has it taken on you financially? >> every day i get up, bill in the mail. i check my mailbox, i'll come back with another bill for him.

financially, i have lost everything. >> reporter: what's on your mind as you think of camden's future? >> i would like to see him being in school, having normal activities. more therapies, you know, physical therapies during the day. moving forward, you know. i want to see him moving again. >> reporter: until there's a cure, experimental treatments and physical therapy are the only options, and while there's always a risk, quinton's parents say it was one worth taking. >> nice save, good job. >> reporter: after a second surgery and months of therapy, finally, progress in the form of normalcy. playing catch with dad. >> today he continues to get stronger, he'll brag to you that he can lift a pound or couple pounds against graphity in actual weight. it's fun to see that. >> reporter: but even with the

recovery of some of the small things, quinton still faces a mountain. one he will need to continue climbing every single day. >> he's an example of resiliency, an example of perseverance and just works hard at it every day and really doesn't complain. i'm proud of him that as far as he's come, i know it's not going to continue to slow him down in his future. >> we'll be right back. rter, co? drop the taco, get in the car. does this sentra feel like a compromise to you? wait what? the handling, it's good right? no compromise there... nope. watch this... brie brie... (sfx: rab beeps) rear automatic braking. so if this nissan sentra isn't gonna compromise why should you? you're right! that a girl. the all new nissan sentra. with more standard safety features than any other car in its class. ♪ imicroban 24. watch as microban 24 kills 99.9% of bacteria... and then, even after mulple touches,

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we want to thank dr. jen ashton and her team for that incredible story. that's "nightline" for tonight, you can watch our full episodes on hulu. goodnight, america. >> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live," with guest host, ben platt. tonight, zendaya, and music from muna and the knocks. and now, ben platt. >> hello, and welcome to jimmy kimmel live. i'm your guest host, ben platt.

i'm what's known as a triple threat. i sing, i act, and i post absolutely savage yelp reviews. i've also won a tony, an emmy, and a grammy. and i was one of time's 100 most influential people, which means i am now above the law in perpetuity! what's that? i'm being told that is not in fact the case. but it was crazy. i was on the same list with lebron james and kim jong un. between us we have 1 tony award, 3 nba championships and thousands of human rights violations. it's weird. i'm used to performing in front of big, loving audiences in rooms filled with applause and laughter. now here i am doing a show alone in an empty house, and the slight wrinkling of a masked cameraman's eyes is the only way i can tell if any of this is funny! and i see a smattering of wrinkle. all right. but not to worry, if anything goes wrong tonight, i have a