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Arizona woman with 'mystery illness' dies after being diagnosed with rare brain disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease affects one in 1 million
Posted at 10:56 AM, Jan 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-02 10:56:54-05

PHOENIX — Family members say Shawn-Lee Midkiff, the Arizona woman with a mystery illness, has passed away.

Her family was desperate for answers after Midkiff went from happy and healthy to being unable to speak, eat or walk.

They say doctors finally diagnosed her with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an untreatable brain disease that affects one in 1 million people.

After her diagnosis, her family says she was moved to hospice care where she died December 30.

The family wants to thank the community for their support over the past few weeks.

They're now raising money for her medical bills and funeral arrangements. To donate, you can visit their GoFundMe page.

Midkiff's husband has also shared a video tribute to his wife, which you can watch here.

This story was originally published by Jamie Warren on KNXV.