Business Owner Hospitalized Due to Rare Infection

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — A business owner from Montgomery County is recovering in the hospital after being diagnosed with a rare, flesh-eating bacterial infection. This medical emergency has kept him hospitalized since mid-December.

Peter Atkinson, 49, from North Wales, has been receiving treatment at Doylestown Hospital since December 19, following a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis.

Atkinson credits the hospital’s quick action with saving his life. “If it wasn’t for the help of this hospital, I would definitely be dead,” he expressed.

Initially, he thought he was coming down with the flu. He experienced a high fever, hitting 104 degrees, and noticed a mass forming in his chest, which eventually led him to seek medical attention.

“How did I get this? How did this happen?” he pondered, noting the rarity of the condition but also his own unexpected experience with it.

Doctors recognized the seriousness of his condition almost immediately. “I showed them, and it was like, wow, not even five minutes later, he came and said, ‘We have to do emergency surgery. We’re going to intubate you,’” Atkinson shared.

Unfortunately, the infection advanced into sepsis, resulting in kidney failure. His sister, Marietta Atkinson, remarked on the pain of the experience, particularly given their family’s history with similar medical crises.

“Probably one of the most traumatic events in our life. In 2016, we lost our sister to sepsis, very similar to what Pete had,” she conveyed.

Family members noted that Atkinson started to show signs of recovery around Christmas. His wife, Sherri Paulson-Atkinson, reflected on the emotional struggle of watching her husband in a vulnerable state.

“My husband is a fighter, he’s a go-getter, he is always busy, and to see him laying there like that was really hard for me,” she admitted.

Atkinson runs a towing company and is unable to work for an extended period. In response, a friend set up a fundraiser, which has raised $13,000 to support the family.

Atkinson expressed gratitude, stating, “The amount of people that have touched me just in the last couple of days – I can’t fathom the help.”

Paulson-Atkinson emphasized that the family is focused on his recovery, saying, “He does everything for us, and we just need him back.”

Atkinson is currently undergoing dialysis and is scheduled for another procedure. He is expected to eventually be transferred to a rehabilitation facility for ongoing recovery.