Annette Saldivar, 38, was living a normal life as a dialysis technician and as a mother of two teenage girls.
Then, in February, she began to experience restless leg syndrome, a tingling sensation that kept her awake at night.
Later, she complained about headaches, vertigo, weakness and vision problems. She was fatigued all the time.
Finally, after seeing several physicians and undergoing all sorts of tests, a doctor diagnosed her illness as Guillain-Barré syndrome, a debilitating disease that strikes one in 100,000 people.
"She was getting so bad, I thought she was going to die," said Joe Saldivar, her father. "My twin girls are my pride and joy. I thank God he didn’t take her from me."