Flesh-Eating Bacteria Leaves Mom with No Arms or Legs
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 1:05PM
Katy Hayes was living a happy, healthy life until she contracted a flesh-eating bacterial infection.
After giving birth to her third child last year, Katy experienced an unusual abdominal pain. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with a deadly flesh-eating bacterial infection that was rapidly devouring her body. She went into a coma for two months and when she woke up, her arms, legs, intestine and uterus had been removed.
This formerly active mom had to slowly readjust to life as a wife, mother and quadruple amputee.
Meet this incredible mom...
Filed Under: As Seen On The Show
Comments
Fighting MRSA
Dear Anderson hope your well. For years studies have proven that Copper surface equipment reduces the risk of MRSA /VRE/CRE . A new product is being used in Toronto to help reduce MRSA/VRE/CRE as well as several other know infections in hospitals. Dr. Javad Mostaghimi, PhD and Dr. Larry Pershin, PhD from the University of Toronto, Ontario, are 2 well know Professor’s in Toronto as well as other countries for Thermal sprays. Studies have proven that Copper can help reduce the spread of these infections in hospitals by using copper surfaces, some hospitals have even replaced hospital equipment with copper surfaces, the cost to do this is very high. Dr. Mostaghimi and Dr. Pershin have created a Copper Thermal Spray that would produce the same effect as copper equipment, at a much lower cost. Mt. Sinai in Toronto has already started using the Thermal Copper Spray.
Dr. Allison McGeer, Director of Infection Disease at Mt. Sinai approved the copper spray, a study that was conducted over the past. I have a video on a flash drive that I can send to you if you like. I attached some articles below if you have time to read them. Could you please forward this email to the correct individuals or let me know who. I should contact, we are hoping that they will allow a presentation of Copper Thermal Spray, with Dr. Mostaghimi.
Thank you again, looking forward for your response.
Sincerely,
Mary Charmchi
508-735-4783
• Dr. Mostaghimi : Email: mostag@mie.utoronto.ca Phone: Phone: (416) 978 560...4
• Fax: (416) 978 7753
• Website: http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/faculty/mostaghimi
•
Research areas
Advanced coatings, thermal plasmas; thermal spray coatings; arcs; radio-frequency inductively coupled plasmas; computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer.
Dr. Mostaghimi is a member of the IUPAC sub-committee on Plasma Chemistry, and a member of the editorial board of Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing.
Dr. Pershin : Research areas: Thermal spay processes, direct current plasma generation are main objectives of his research. Coatings application their performance in service,
particle-gas interaction, particle and substrate conditions upon impact, process diagnostic are specifically the focus of his activities at the Centre
Antimicrobial Copper: an innovative weapon in the fight to improve infection control in healthcare
Antimicrobial Copper provides a strong line of defense against harmful bacteria and must be cared for in order to work effectively and improve patient safety.
* Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly, Antimicrobial Copper™ kills greater than 99.9% of the following bacteria within 2 hours of exposure: MRSA, Vancomycin-ResistantEnterococcus faecalis (VRE),Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli O157:H7. Antimicrobial Copper surfaces are a supplement to and not a substitute for standard infection control practices and have been shown to reduce microbial contamination, but do not necessarily prevent cross contamination; users must continue to follow all current infection control practices. Michels et al, Lett Appl Microbiol, 49 (2009) 191-195 demonstrated that Antimicrobial Copper™ outperforms two commercially available silver-containing coatings under typical indoor conditions.
Copper is the most effective touch surface material
Antimicrobial Copper is the most effective touch surface material in the fight against pathogenic microbes, killing greater than 99.9% of bacteria* within 2 hours of exposure. No other material, such as silver-containing coatings, comes close.
Laboratory research on the efficacy of Antimicrobial Copper has been carried out and verified at institutions around the world, including the UK (Aston University, University of Southampton, Kingston University), US, South Africa, Germany and Japan. Results have been peer reviewed and published.
Kill times vary according to organism, strain, level of challenge, copper content of alloy and temperature - being more rapid at 20°C but still with a considerable effect at 4°C. Copper exhibits efficacy under typical indoor conditions (humidity and temperature). Silver-containing materials (from two manufacturers) and triclosan behaved as the stainless steel control i.e. showed no antimicrobial efficacy under these conditions.
Efficacy against the following pathogenic organisms has been shown:
• Acinetobacter baumannii
• Adenovirus
• Aspergillus *****
• Candida albicans
• Campylobacter jejuni
• Clostridium difficile (including spores)
• Enterobacter aerogenes
• Escherichia coli O157:H7
• Helicobacter pylori
• Influenza A (H1N1)
• Legionella pneumophila
• Listeria monocytogenes
• Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, including
• E-MRSA)
• Poliovirus
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Salmonella enteritidis
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Tubercle bacillus
• Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE)
My husband and I watched the show and were really interested to find out what caused this horrible thing to happen to those to young ladies. Where the doctors able to tell either one of them what did this to them?
When my son was five he had a bug bite that had become infected. One day he got a fever and couldn't walk on it. In the daylight I was shocked to see his skin had become translucent and his flesh was black underneath it. We rushed him to the hospital and he was given an antibiotic that was so strong they needed permission from the government(were Canadian)they drew a circle around the infection to see how quickly it was spreading. Thank God after a few hours the antibiotics worked because the doctors had told my husband and I that my son was about 12 hours away from having his leg amputated in order to save his life. If we had gotten their later he would've lost his leg or worse his life!
No matter how small a cut or a scratch is we always put an antiseptic on it as soon as possible.
Thank you Anderson for bringing those brave women on your show to share their story. My son who is 12 now and myself were very moved by their bravery!
13 yrs ago had I the flesh eating virus,but at that time it was called necrotizing-facitis.And when I was diagnosed with it,no one knew what it was,or what caused it,let alone how to treat it.I was told that once you contract this infection you have (3) days. I waited (4) days.In the process of me being in the hospital for for (5) months,I had to learn how to walk all over again.I still have the scar(s),on my lower right leg.I was given a synthetic penicillian called "Gorilla Penicillin".It is supposed to be 100x's stronger than what we are used to. THANK YOU,ANDERSON COOPER FOR BRINGING THIS INFECTION TO THE PUBLIC'S ATTENTION.
You left out one glaring problem where germs are. The dirtiest part of the body: THE MOUTH. The exchange of germs from mouth to mouth are staggering. Why anyone would kiss let alone "french kiss" is beyond the realm of sanity.
I'm writing to correct the web address provided below by Bev for Cyndi's wonderful blog. The correct address is:
cyndisstory.igloocommunities.com/ (Bev, your version omitted the / symbol which should appear at the end.) In any case, thank you for bringing this wonderful, uplifting website to our attention. It certainly merits viewer interest. Cyndi credits her faith for giving her strength to proceed in a positive manner. However it's a tough road and the cost of making the minimal, necessary adaptations to her home comprises a heavy financial burden. Canadian as well as US viewers ought to take note, as Cyndi resides North of Toronto.
Cyndi, we love your beauty and your smile. To the other lovely lady on the show, who is was severely affected by a similar disease: we love your spirit. You and Cyndi now have many thousands of people praying for you throughout the continent. Your husbands uniquely represent strength in manhood, with love and responsibility stepping up to the plate. Yours are perhaps the most potently romantic stories we have ever heard. Bravo.
Why these awful, mysterious new diseases? Travel to/from distant parts of the globe may play a part. Yet Anderson's show suggests hygiene habits right here in North America could also be at fault. Surveys reveal there are more germs on a typical kitchen wipe-cloth than on the family toilet seat. Soak that thing in a water/peroxide solution! Same with your toothbrush! Our custom of politely covering our faces with hands when we sneeze or cough turns us into human germ-dispensers, leaving pathogens on everything we touch. Sneeze the way conscientious dentists do -- over their shoulder, away from the patient, towards the floor, away from the dentist's hands. Cough into your sleeve if you must, in the crook of your elbow. Alas, MD's and other health care workers are frequently among the worst offenders when it comes to careless hygiene practices. Countless times I have observed health workers moving from patient to patient, using hand-cleaning practices that range from shabby to none. No wonder epidemics like MRSA / Flesh-eating Disease are beginning to move through our hospitals and communities. Many health facilities are filthy, employing staff who utilize terrible hygiene protocols. Although I've tried several different clinics for blood work which I've required in recent years, in at least 4 of these establishments I have had blood samples drawn by distracted workers who have dropped 'sterile' tape or gauze on a visibly dirty surface (including the floor,) picked it up, and proceeded to use it to bind the area on my arm where the blood had been drawn. Needless to say, I headed to the nearest soap or disinfectant dispenser to cleanse the puncture left by the blood-drawing syringe. My mother, suffering from enormous bedsores so deep that bone could be seen, needed several times to have the dead flesh in her wounds scraped out ('debrided'), ostensibly to help prevent infection. Not only was this carried out without anesthetic or sedation, but it was conducted by an MD and two nurses dressed in the attire they had worn while attending to numerous other patients. This gruesome procedure was performed in an open, high-traffic area, where there was a steady stream of patients and families tromping in and out: Indeed it was done directly in front of the dermatology department's public reception desk, not in a clean 'procedure room,' not even in a curtained-off area which at least might have offered some privacy as well as minimal protection from flying dirt and dust. My mother quickly developed septicemia and died within weeks. No, these episodes did not occur in third-world, makeshift health facilities -- they occurred in average, modern, North American hospitals. By contrast I fondly recall the hospitals of my youth, in the same large urban area where I now reside, wherein staff wore clean, freshly-starched white attire, where the floors, walls and furniture gleamed, polished daily, exuding a reassuring whiff of disinfectant. Now there are actually hospitals that employ carpeting throughout. Imagine the vomit, blood or feces imbedded in those floors! In my circle of acquaintances there are 4 people who have developed septicemia after fairly routine procedures / bone surgery (such as hip replacement.) My mother, as stated, died. A friend, after having her operation in a large, prestigious hospital specializing in orthopedic surgery, hovered near death for weeks, only to have the infection reactivated by a subsequent surgery in the same facility. Health workers and regular folk kindly take note: Touching a tap in a public or hospital restroom in order to turn on water and wash hands, only to then turn off the water by touching the same germ-laden tap, makes no sense and only gives the illusion of reducing microbes. The same applies to washing hands by using your hand to press the dirty pump that releases hand soap. Dr Gupta, may I suggest a modification to the vigorous hand-washing demonstration you provided? An elbow -- or a clean tissue -- could be used to push the soap pump which, for most of us in 'real life,' would previously have been touched by various microbe-laden hands, including our own. PS: Public health officials in my city have for about fifteen years conducted an aggressive, effective campaign to monitor hygiene standards in restaurants. Shouldn't they be at least as vigilant about investigating health facilities?
An Amazing story, i am really affected by Cyndi´s story what a wonderfull and inspirational woman!
That was very informative. We were affected by Cyndi's story personally. She is hope and inspiration to many of us. You can follow her rehabilitation and challenges on her blog cyndisstory.igloocommunities.com. Her strength shows us to take nothing for granted.
That was very informative. We were affected by Cyndi's story personally. She is hope and inspiration to many of us. You can follow her rehabilitation and challenges on her blog cyndisstory.igloocommunities.com. Her strength shows us to take nothing for granted.
in 2009 became very sick, had lesion on left leg. had lesion excised, spread to left hip. By the second surgery had wound cultures. culture showed mycobacterium. I was on several antibiotics. I am a nurse and worked in hospital at the time. I was sick for 6 months. Had some of same symptoms as the women on show. I watched intently wanting to know what the name of flesh eating bacteria is these women had. I assumed i contracted my infection from a pedicure. Please let me know what the name of the bacteria these women had. thank you.