NEED TO KNOW
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Brian Roush, 62, was enjoying a vacation in the Bahamas with his girlfriend over New Year’s when he scraped his ankle.
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After returning home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he fell seriously ill, leading doctors to suspect necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh-eating disease.
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He faced a grim prognosis with only a 10% chance of survival.
Following a minor ankle scrape during his Bahamas getaway, a Florida man found himself battling a severe case of flesh-eating disease, which left him with a slim chance of survival.
Brian Roush had traveled with his girlfriend, Tonia Buford Stinson, to celebrate their new living arrangement. Despite the scrape, which his daughter Brittany Roush mentioned, he carried on with typical vacation activities like swimming with pigs and going on water slides.
However, on the journey back to Fort Lauderdale on January 3, he became extremely ill. “He was admitted to a hospital in Fort Lauderdale for severe septic shock, was intubated, and placed on a ventilator,” as described in a GoFundMe set up by Brittany to support Roush’s recovery.
The progression of the disease was rapid. Brittany noted that “his ankle erupted into blisters” when he reached the emergency room. Doctors suspected necrotizing fasciitis immediately, as it causes tissue to deteriorate quickly.
Brian underwent emergency surgery to remove the infected tissue, but by then, he had developed sepsis, a severe immune response to infection.
“Sepsis was wreaking havoc,” the GoFundMe shared. “Brian’s liver, kidneys, and lungs were failing while he was in septic shock, and he was placed in an induced coma.” During this time, his ankle became gangrenous, requiring extensive tissue removal.
Initially given just a 10% survival chance, Brian showed remarkable resilience. “After a week of continual antibiotics and life support, he cleared the infection and began to recover,” the GoFundMe explained.
Although he is on the mend, Roush is not completely out of the woods yet. He will need to transition to a long-term care facility to relearn walking and regain use of his limbs.
“He is doing his best to stay positive despite this nightmare,” the GoFundMe noted, adding that he’s been charming the nursing staff to keep the ice water flowing.
Necrotizing fasciitis is rare, but the preventive measures align with standard infection caution: clean wounds thoroughly and keep them covered, while steering clear of pools, hot tubs, or oceans if you have any skin breaks.
