Teenager Saves His Own Life After ChatGPT Identifies Rare Condition Missed by GP

A 17-year-old student from Gloucestershire claims he saved his own life after ChatGPT correctly suggested a rare neurological disorder that his doctor initially overlooked.

Kahlan Eales, a law and criminology student at Cirencester College, had visited his GP after becoming unusually weak while recovering from a cold. His feet had turned blue, and he struggled to move. Despite these alarming symptoms, he was told he likely had Raynaud’s syndrome and was advised simply to keep warm.

Still concerned, Kahlan entered his symptoms into an AI chatbot while riding home on a bus. The tool suggested he might have Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)—a rare and potentially life-threatening condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves, causing progressive paralysis.

Shocked by the result, Kahlan and his mother, Lean Constanine, immediately went to A&E. Doctors confirmed the diagnosis and quickly transferred him to Bristol Royal Infirmary for emergency plasma treatment. Left untreated, GBS can cause total paralysis and respiratory failure.

“I use ChatGPT for schoolwork and daily questions,” Kahlan said. “My symptoms had got worse, so I ran them through AI and it came back with GBS. I couldn’t believe it when the hospital said, ‘you’re right.’”

Now recovering at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, he expects to be discharged soon. Despite his frightening experience, Kahlan says it hasn’t shaken his trust in the NHS—though he is more skeptical of local GP assessments.

“GBS slowly paralyses you all the way up, and it could have caused me to stop breathing,” he said. “The fact I had to resort to AI to diagnose me properly is insane.”