Lillian Smart was 8 years old and lived in Ruston, Louisiana.
In mid-August, she swam in Lake Claiborne, 48 kilometers from her home, like any other summer afternoon with her family. No one noticed anything unusual. That same month, she celebrated her birthday. One day after blowing out the candles, Lillian died in a hospital.
The cause was Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that lives in warm, fresh water and, when it enters through the nose, travels to the brain and causes an infection that is almost always fatal. The Louisiana Department of Health had already issued a warning about a case in the area before the family publicly confirmed that it was Lillian. Her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, announced it with a message of faith on Facebook, and even Governor Jeff Landry expressed his support. It is not the first case: Georgia in 2023 and Nebraska in 2022 experienced similar tragedies caused by the same amoeba that you have probably never heard of.
