ATLANTA — An Atlanta woman has spent the last five months in the hospital after she says she contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while in the Bahamas and now has had her leg amputated.
“It is believed the bacteria started from a small cut on her leg exposed to ocean water while on a trip to the Bahamas,” friends and family of Jennifer Barlow said on her GoFundMe page.
According to the page, Barlow contracted necrotizing fasciitis, which is a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Up to 1 in 5 people with necrotizing fasciitis die from the infection, the CDC said.
They said that the infection spread quickly, and Barlow’s brother found her unconscious at her home after she went into septic shock.
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Barlow then spent two weeks in a coma because the bacteria entered her bloodstream.
“Once Jennifer emerged from the coma, she then began painful debridement surgeries to remove the infected skin and muscle. After over 30 surgeries and 3 months in intensive care, the infection continues to painfully spread, and she made the tough decision to amputate her entire leg hoping to give herself the best chance of survival,” the GoFundMe page said. It is so rare that someone survives necrotizing fasciitis and we are so blessed to still have her coming out of this alive.”
She is now asking “for help with her medical expenses, prosthetic limb costs, and rehabilitation.”
If you would like to help her out, you can donate by CLICKING HERE.
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