Waukee, Iowa’s Kim Kehe and Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Brittney England, PT, DPT, CCVR, stood toe-to-toe, refusing to back down from the life-threatening West Nile Virus.
And won.
Mind you, work is still to be done, but Kehe, now in the midst of a much-earned Florida vacation, has come leaps and bounds in his battle with the mosquito-borne disease.
Leaps and bounds.
The ever-upbeat 72-year-old’s odyssey began August 13, 2025, a typical summer day for Kehe, who with wife Lois, are John Deere retirees.
A Division I athlete, who starred on the golf course at the University of Northern Iowa, Kim Kehe loves exercise and the outdoors. That late summer morning, Kim and Lois went for a lengthy morning bike ride, and in the afternoon, Kim Kehe played nine holes of golf at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Like many talented golfers do in retirement, Kim Kehe works part-time as a starter at DMGCC.
There was fatigue post golf, Kehe – who played that day with his usual group, noticed – but he played it off as bike-ride-and-golf related.
“I came home and mentioned I was tired but nothing out of the ordinary for the activities we had done that day,’’ Kehe shared.
The following day, Kehe played 18 holes at Jester Park in Granger, Iowa, as part of his men’s golf league, carding a 3-under 69, his best round of the summer. He walked the course that day with his pushcart, which was nothing out of the ordinary.
Issues, however, persisted.
“I had no appetite and could not eat,’’ Kehe said of how he felt after golfing the following day. “The next morning, I felt weak and still had no appetite. We made an appointment with our primary care physician, and she ran a bunch of tests but was uncertain what she was dealing with.’’
More tests followed, with nothing conclusive. On Aug. 22, Kehe woke weak, had a fever, still could not eat, and was experiencing double vision.
An emergency-room visit, a bevy of blood tests and an MRI showed pneumonia in one lung and a virus doctors were having trouble pinpointing.
“I could not get up without the help of someone and could not walk without utilizing the (assistance) belt around my waist,’’ Kehe said. “I was discharged from the hospital on Aug. 29 and sent to a rehabilitation hospital. More blood work was done. At that time, they also detected a blood clot in my right calf. A week later the blood work showed positive anti-bodies for West Nile Virus.’’
West Nile Virus?
In Iowa?
Rare, yet 56 cases noted statewide in 2025.
West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the contiguous United States. Each year, more than 1,300 people develop severe illnesses that affect the central nervous system, and more than 130 people die.
Kim Kehe was in the fight of – and for – his life.
“There is no magic antibiotic they can give you to help your body heal from this virus,’’ Kehe said of West Nile. “I did take some antibiotics for pneumonia. Rehab in the hospital (from Sept. 1-to-12) was not that beneficial. They have great physical therapists, but I was tired and on a bunch of meds and was not eating, so I was very weak. While in the hospital and at rehab I lost 30 pounds. Not the way I wanted to lose weight.’’
Enter England, a gifted, knowledgeable, and compassionate physical therapist, who calls Rock Valley’s Waukee, Iowa-based clinic home.
Kehe was England’s first West Nile-related patient.
His referral to physical therapy was for deconditioning secondary to pneumonia, a blood clot, and sepsis. It was only after meeting Kehe did England learn he was battling West Nile Virus and that he was struggling with right leg paralysis.
“Since Kim’s condition was stable, I addressed the deconditioning as my main focus, as he was not able to stand without upper extremity support, and didn’t look confident walking with his walker,’’ England said of Kehe.
Kehe knew from that first day that getting back to his old self would be a challenge. He found out quickly he had a motivated – and dedicated therapist – and ally – in his corner.
“My first session with Brittney was quite an experience,’’ Kehe shared. “My wife helped me get into the Rock Valley facility with my walker. Brittney asked a few questions about what I had going on. She had never had a patient with WNV, so this was new to her as well. She asked what my goals were, and I replied to walk, be able to drive, and to play golf again. After we talked a bit, she asked me to stand up and I said, “I don’t believe I can.” At that point I do not believe she realized what she had just signed up for and that to have me just walk was going to be a challenge. My right leg was immobile and had no strength. I had to literally pick my leg up and lift it to get it into the car and Lois had to lift it to get into bed at night.’’
It was a challenge England readily accepted.
Struggles aside, England says something jumped out at her when it came to Kehe. No matter what stood before him – and the task was daunting – England saw that he was motivated to get his life back and willing to work to do as much.
“That’s my favorite (thing about being a physical therapist),’’ England said. “I love when people are willing to put in the work to make themselves better. As I got to know Kim better, I heard about his love for his grandkids, basketball, and golf, as well as just being able to be there to help and support his wife at home.’’
So, England targeted her treatment of Kehe by addressing his goals, giving him confidence in himself to be able to climb the bleachers to watch his grandkids’ sports and swing a golf club to enjoy his hobbies again.
“It was so fun to see the surprise on Kim’s face when he achieved something he didn’t think he could,’’ England said.
“Kim is such a hard-working person and is not afraid of a challenge, though he did give me quite the look when I introduced something new and difficult,’’ England said. “He took it with a smile and was always willing to try it out. I would often say “What if we just tried?’’ We’ll just try it, see what happens, and if we aren’t ready for it, we will try something else.’’
Milestones reached by Kehe were huge for England as well, calling him an absolute joy to work with, and that she looked forward to each session to see what ways he would surprise himself with his capabilities.
“I wish I had taken a video on his first day to show how nervous and cautious he was, afraid to even stand at his walker,’’ England said. “Then compare it to him now when he’s walking without an assistive device, doing stairs, pushing our weighted sled, and swinging a golf club again. His determination and willingness to work have been an inspiration to me and reminded me why I love my job.
Kehe has nothing but high praises for England’s work.
“Working with Brittney has been simply awesome,’’ he said, noting he has been discharged from Rock Valley, but will continue to see a therapist and work on strength, balance, and walking endurance while in Florida. England has sent ideas with Kehe to work on as well.
“She is a fantastic physical therapist and a great person,’’ he continued. “Early on she could tell that I WANTED to achieve the goals that I had told her I wanted to accomplish. With that in mind, she knew she could challenge me and that I would accept the challenge. And challenge me, she did. From the start, she has created a program that challenged me with different exercises and drills but also understood and accepted some of the limitations I experienced along the way. She is creative and we seldom did the same set of exercises/drills two days in a row. Always something different and always challenging. I have gone from walking with a walker, to walking with the support of a cane, to now being able to walk on my own. Through the hard work we both have put in we are reaching our goals. We are a team.’’
An amazing, winning team…
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller