A father who lost his son to a “brain-eating amoeba” infection is fighting to make sure others do not fall victim to a similar fate as his son.

Jeremy Lewis says that his son Kyle died from the infection in 2010. He has started a foundation in his son’s name to draw attention to the threat of the infection, as well as the drug that can potentially save lives.

“The way it went down, it’s a horrible death,” Lewis says.

Ventnor resident Fabrizio Stabile, 29, recently died when he contracted the infection while at a surf water park in Waco, Texas. BSR Cable Park now says that its surf resort is closed for the season and is undergoing cleaning.

The amoeba thrives in warm water and attacks brain tissue. Lewis says that he is not surprised that someone contracted the infection from a place like the water park.

“I’m surprised there haven’t been more [cases] to be honest,” he says.

Lewis says that there is a drug known as Impavido, which can potentially save the life of a person infected with the organism.

"If it is a parasite, it's going to kill it. If it's the amoeba, it's going to kill it. If we don't get it on board, they're going to die in three to four days,” he says.

The drug is currently only found in 21 hospitals nationwide – none of which are in New Jersey.

Doctors say that they do not use the drug often, but would like to have it on hand to treat an infection that can sometimes be mistake for something more common.

"We would see lots of bacterial meningitis, and lots of viral meningitis, and a rare, rare case of Naegleria. But you want to think about it early, in the list of possibilities so that you can treat it earlier,” says Dr. Suzanne Whitworth with Cook Children’s Hospital.

The parasite typically enters the body through the nose. Health officials emphasize that the infection cannot be gotten by swallowing contaminated water.