NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Walnut Creek, CA, May 7, 2026: What began as a lingering cough turned into a month-long fight for life for 37-year-old Chiranjeevi Kolla, a California-based Indian immigrant, husband, and father, whose family says he died May 5 after a rare but potentially deadly case of Valley fever led to respiratory failure.
According to a fundraiser launched by his cousin, Kolla died at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek after nearly a month in intensive care. He is survived by his wife, Pavani Marella, and the couple’s 5-year-old son, Vihan.
Family members said Kolla first fell ill in early April with what appeared to be flu-like symptoms. When his condition worsened, he sought emergency care, where doctors initially suspected severe pneumonia. Further testing later confirmed Valley fever, a fungal infection caused by inhaling microscopic spores of Coccidioides, a fungus found in soil in parts of the American Southwest, including California.
As the infection spread through his lungs, Kolla’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He was intubated and placed on a ventilator, according to family members, who said his wife remained by his bedside throughout his hospitalization.
“After thirty long days of machines and monitors and prayers, his exhausted body could fight no longer,” the family wrote in the fundraising appeal.
Friends and relatives described Kolla as a quiet, deeply respected professional and devoted family man whose death has left his family facing emotional and financial uncertainty, including hospital bills, mortgage payments, and funeral arrangements in both the United States and India.
What is Valley fever?
Valley fever, medically known as coccidioidomycosis, is a lung infection caused by breathing in fungal spores from disturbed soil or dust. It is not contagious from person to person. Symptoms often resemble the flu and may include cough, fever, fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath. In many people, the infection resolves on its own, but in some cases it can become severe, spread beyond the lungs, or cause life-threatening complications.
Though considered uncommon in much of the United States, Valley fever is increasingly recognized in states such as California and Arizona, which account for the vast majority of reported U.S. cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly 20,000 cases are reported nationwide each year, though the actual number may be far higher because the disease is often misdiagnosed. In 2024, California alone reported nearly 12,500 cases — the highest on record in the state.
Medical experts say severe illness is still relatively rare, but cases requiring hospitalization do occur, particularly when diagnosis is delayed or when the infection aggressively affects the lungs.
For Kolla’s family, the statistics now carry a deeply personal meaning.
Their fundraiser says the 5-year-old son kept asking when his father would come home. He never did.
