A FATHER tragically died after “scraping” his leg on a piece of wood.
Phillip Maile was swimming in the sea in Turkey when he contracted an extremely rare flesh-eating bacteria that doctors were unable to stop from spreading despite amputating his leg twice.
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The 65-year-old from Worthing, West Sussex, was diagnosed with a deadly skin infection called necrotizing fasciitis while on holiday in Oludeniz, Turkey, with his wife, Vanessa, in September 2022.
His leg quickly began to turn black and blue a few days after swimming in the Mediterranean, despite his wound being covered with a waterproof bandage and being told that salt water would be “beneficial.”
The father of three was rushed to hospital on September 9, where for the next five weeks doctors tried to stop the spread of the infection.
Doctors cleaned the wound and amputated the leg above the knee and then at the hip.
But despite his efforts, Phillip sadly passed away on October 13, 2022.
Her daughter Charlotte, 32, is urging others to be more vigilant when it comes to their own pain.
“The second you have a small cut or open sore that is causing you more pain than it should, ignore everything and go to the hospital because it is likely to stop the spread and can literally spread right in front of your eyes,” she explained.
Phillip and his wife Vanessa took a day trip to explore the Saklikent Gorge near the city of Fethiye while on holiday in Turkey in September 2022.
They stopped for lunch at Yaka Park Fish Farm before heading to a nearby waterfall, where Phillip climbed a flight of wooden stairs to reach the viewing platform.
He had only taken a few steps when his foot suddenly went through one of the rotten boards up to his knee.
Fortunately, he was unharmed except for a small cut on his left leg.
“He had a little scratch that was tiny. It looked like a scratch. That’s the best way to describe it,” Charlotte said.
A few days later, as a precaution, Phillip, who had type 2 diabetes, visited a pharmacy where his wound was treated with a waterproof bandage.
Charlotte said the pharmacist told her father he could continue swimming in the sea as the wound was small and the salt water would be beneficial.
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‘SEA WATER CAME IN’
Over the next few days, Phillip continued swimming, but began to complain that his injury was causing him a lot of pain.
“Despite the waterproof dressing, seawater obviously got in, but we didn’t know that at the time,” said Charlotte.
“Everyone we spoke to at the hospital said the infection came from the sea.”
Phillip’s wound was infected with a rare type of bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus, sometimes nicknamed flesh-eating bacteria because it can trigger necrotizing fasciitis, a serious infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies.
Charlotte was on a work trip in Ireland when her stepmother, Vanessa, called to say that her father had been taken to the public hospital.
At first, doctors couldn’t figure out why Phillip was in so much pain, but there were signs that his condition was getting worse.
“His leg started to turn blue and then black and you could almost see how quickly it was going up his leg,” Charlotte said.
On September 9, just 24 hours after receiving the call from her stepmother, Charlotte and her siblings, Sarah, 37, and Edward, 35, were told to board a plane to Turkey while their father was being “blue lit.” to Antalya Lara Anadolu Hospital. .
His stepmother, Vanessa, arranged for everyone to stay in an apartment a seven-and-a-half-minute walk from the hospital.
“From that day on, we walked to and from the hospital twice a day, where we got updates from the doctors who were amazing,” Charlotte said.
Vanessa, Charlotte and their siblings, joined by Phillip’s younger brother William from Australia, only got to see Phillip in pairs for a few minutes each day.
‘NEVER WALK AGAIN’
In an attempt to stop Phillip’s infection from spreading, doctors rushed to clean and remove dead or infected skin, a procedure known as debridement.
Unfortunately, the procedure failed and on September 14 Phillip was transferred to the intensive care unit after developing sepsis.
“That was the day we were taken into a room to make a decision,” Charlotte said.
“They said the only way to try to stop it from spreading is to amputate.”
Later that night, doctors amputated Phillip’s leg above the knee before he was placed on life support.
He suffered septic shock after the operation and had to undergo dialysis to clear the blood, but there was a glimmer of hope a few days later when Charlotte and her family returned to hospital.
“They thought this had happened and we had a few days where we thought this was going in the right direction because even though he was intubated, there was no necrotic smell,” Charlotte said.
But their hopes were dashed on September 20 when doctors removed Phillip’s bandages to find signs of necrosis and suggested amputating the rest of his leg.
“He basically had another operation to amputate his leg down to the hip bone, which is the highest amputation you can do and meant he would never walk again,” Charlotte said.
Once again, the operation failed to stop the spread of the deadly bacteria, and after fighting for another three weeks, Phillip died on October 13, 2022.
What is necrotizing fasciitis?
Necrotizing fasciitis is a flesh-eating disease that occurs if a wound becomes infected.
It is rare and needs to be treated immediately in the hospital.
The first signs of the disease are:
- Severe pain or loss of sensation near a cut or sore – the pain may feel much worse than you would normally expect from a cut or sore
- Swelling of the skin around the affected area
- Flu-like symptoms such as high temperature, headache and tiredness
Later symptoms may include:
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Confusion
- Black, purple or gray spots and blisters on the skin (may be less obvious on black or brown skin)
You should go to A&E or call 999 if you have a cut that is more painful than expected, if you have a wound and symptoms such as a temperature or headache, if you suddenly feel confused, or if you have black or purple spots. or ash near a cut or wound.
Necrotizing fasciitis worsens quickly and can be fatal.
Treatments usually include antibiotics and surgery to remove the infected area.
Source: National Health Service
After losing her father, Charlotte’s sister Sarah contacted a charity called The Lee Spark NF Foundation which was created by Dee Cartledge, who lost her son to the same illness in 1999.
Through the organization, they met “inspiring people,” including some who managed to survive the deadly disease, which Charlotte says helped them feel less alone.
Charlotte plans to run the Abingdon Marathon on October 20, 2024 to help raise money for the charity and has already raised over £2,500 in GoFundMe.
“I was completely overwhelmed by the support I received to do this,” she said.
“My sincere thanks to absolutely everyone who took the time to first read the story and then feel able to donate.
“Honestly, the foundation helped us through our darkest times, where we thought we were entirely alone.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
