In September 2016, John Hughes was busy with work, volunteering and his family. That’s when a mosquito bite drastically changed his life.

The Roland, Man. resident told his wife, Mary-Lou Hughes, that he wasn’t feeling well one day. After suddenly losing feeling in his legs, the couple rushed to a hospital in Winnipeg.

“[My life] went from, you know, 100 miles an hour to zero in what seemed like seconds,” Hughes told CTV News Winnipeg.

It turned out the mosquito that bit Hughes was carrying the West Nile Virus. The reason for his sudden illness was likely due to a previous kidney transplant. According to a spokesperson with the Province of Manitoba, those with weakened immune systems, including transplant patients like Hughes who receive immunosuppressive drugs, are at greater risk of severe illness.

Hughes went into a coma from the illness. His doctor took him off his anti-rejection drugs in order to save his life, even if it meant putting his new kidney at risk.

Hughes was in a coma for three months when he woke up two days before Christmas. Upon waking up, he found that he was paralyzed.

“Couldn’t move anything, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe without my trach tube,” Hughes said.

Hughes slowly started to recover over the next several months, able to only move his left thumb at first. After 13 months in the hospital, he was able to go home in October 2017.

He has since attended weekly physiotherapy, and can now move his arms enough to write and feed himself.

“It’s freeing. It’s crazy. I’m a builder. I’ve worked with my hands all my life,” he said.

Hughes is also getting a ceiling track installed for his indoor swim spa, which will hopefully help him regain strength in his legs.

Before he fell ill, Hughes had a busy schedule. He was reeve for his municipality, volunteered as a firefighter and worked as a project manager at Rona. As he continues his recovery journey, Hughes has a few goals for the year to come.

As reeve, Hughes continues to attend his council meetings and hasn’t missed a single one since being home. 

When he first fell ill, as a rule, council members had to vote every three months on whether or not to keep him as reeve. Each time, they voted for him to stay. Hughes is considering running for re-election next year.

Apart from attending council meetings, Hughes would also like to get back to work and back on his lawn tractor this year. Most of all, he wants to get back on his feet.

“To get up walking again will be a super achievement, I think.”

With files from CTV Winnipeg