At just 29, Ian Pritchard’s life was full of flavor — until a silent killer took it all away. The Michigan chef spent months battling a rare fungal infection that slowly destroyed his lungs, leaving them looking, as his father said, “like Swiss cheese.”

It started like a common flu around Thanksgiving. But what doctors found next left his family in disbelief — spores from a soil-borne fungus called blastomyces had invaded his lungs. “They showed us the scans,” recalled his father, Ron. “It had eaten holes through them.” Despite powerful antifungal treatments, the infection resisted everything. In the end, Ian — exhausted and in constant pain — made the heartbreaking decision to be taken off life support.

The fungus that killed him lurks in wet leaves, soil, and rotting wood — especially across the Midwest. Health experts warn it’s becoming more common as rising temperatures help fungi spread and survive in new regions.

“He was a good kid,” his father said softly. “People loved his food, people loved him.”

Now, as his family grieves the loss of their second son, Ian’s story serves as a chilling reminder — sometimes, the deadliest threats are the ones we can’t even see.