Morgan Lake

Morgan Lake, Olympian high jump athlete turned voice for encephalitis after her father’s life-changing diagnosis.

When Olympic high jumper Morgan Lake was preparing to soar on the world stage, her family was plunged into a nightmare that felt more like science fiction than real life.

Personal story

Morgan, who placed fourth in the women’s high jump, was at the peak of her athletic career when everything changed in April 2023. Her father began feeling unwell with what seemed like flu symptoms. Within days, he was unable to walk, stand or even speak.

Rushed to hospital, he tested positive for COVID-19. What followed was something no one could have predicted. His health worsened rapidly and further tests revealed that the virus had triggered acute necrotising rhombencephalitis (ANRE) – an extremely rare and life-threatening neurological complication. The condition causes severe inflammation and tissue death in the brainstem, disrupting vital functions including movement, speech and cognition.

Morgan’s father was placed in a coma for nearly two months while doctors attempted to stop his immune system attacking his brain using plasma exchange therapy and IV hydrocortisone. His family could do nothing but watch and wait.

But the coma was not empty or silent for him. Inside it, he lived entire alternate lives. These were not fleeting dreams, but vivid realities. He believed he was a technology and cryptocurrency billionaire, running vast digital empires, travelling to unfamiliar places and inhabiting identities completely foreign to his real life.

When he awoke, he struggled to distinguish reality from hallucination, questioning whether seeing his family again was real.

At the time, Morgan and her family knew little about encephalitis or its long-term impact. Support from Encephalitis International helped them understand the condition and navigate an experience few people are familiar with.