Jason Vanslette was expected to die when the doctors took him off life support. His parents said their goodbyes to their 17-year-old son who was infected with West Nile virus. Yet somehow, Vanslette survived.

Now, Vanslette, a partner at Kelley Kronenberg who focuses his practice primarily on mortgage foreclosure litigation, owes his success in the courtroom to his time as a public defender. But, his near-death experience would not be the last time he had to face the virus that brought him to the brink of death.