When Emiliana Rodríguez was a child, she watched a friend drop dead during a nighttime soccer game.

This sudden death frightened her, and she learned it was caused by Chagas disease, which she was told only comes out at night.

This disease is carried by nocturnal bugs and affects up to 8 million people each year.

Unfortunately, it kills about 12,000 people annually.

Rodríguez received treatment to prevent Chagas from passing to her baby. Thankfully, her baby girl tested negative after birth.

“I had never heard of Chagas,” Hernández said. “I was scared when I read about it being a silent killer. I didn’t know what to do or where to go.”

While kissing bugs have been found in the U.S., where nearly 300,000 people are infected, Chagas is not considered widespread there.

Hernández and her daughter Idalia struggled to find help when Idalia was diagnosed with Chagas. They visited many doctors who were unfamiliar with the disease and didn’t know how to treat it. Hernández felt scared and frustrated, fearing for her daughter’s life and unable to find reliable information.