Aurora, Colorado. Sept. 12, 2003. Ron Peterson contracted the West Nile virus about three weeks ago, and is recovering at the Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital in Aurora. He has encephalitis and viral meningitis, and his motor skills have been affected. Before he got the West Nile virus, he was healthy and athletic. His wife, Janette, and his daughter, Kristen, 20, keep him company at the hospital.. (photos by ellen jaskol/Rocky Mountain News).