U.S. National Whitewater Center

Whitewater Center Where Teen Contracted Deadly Amoeba Closes

On June 19, 18-year-old Ohioan Lauren Seitz went whitewater rafting with her church youth group. After her boat capsized, she found herself underwater, where a brain-eating amoeba made its way up her nose. This organism ultimately killed Seitz by inducing a form of meningitis. Originally, the facility where she contracted the amoeba did not plan to shut its doors until they had done further investigating, but now the U.S.