A father-of-four is fighting for life after he contracted a deadly flesh eating bug through a seemingly harmless cut on his finger.
Jeffrey Beck, a 55-year-old labourer from Moe in Victoria, started suffering flu-like symptoms on November 3 after he cut his finger at work.
Now two weeks later, Mr Beck is fighting for his life in an induced coma at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne’s south.
Now two weeks later, Mr Beck is fighting for his life in an induced coma at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne’s south
Mr Beck’s devastated daughter Stephanie, 25, said the tight-knit family knew something was very wrong when her father’s armpit swelled to the size of a basketball just days after the cut.
‘Dad is the kind of guy who never complains about anything,’ she told The Age.
‘He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he is never sick and he’s always kept himself very fit from his work. But mum knew something was wrong when his armpit swelled up and he told her the pain he was feeling was 10 out of 10.’
When Mr Beck arrived at Traralgon Hospital, doctors told him he was septic.
He was diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis, otherwise known as ‘gas gangrene’, a serious bacterial infection thought to be fatal in about a quarter of cases.
The infection entered Mr Beck’s body through a break in the skin and started to eat away the soft tissue in his body.
Mr Beck was immediately rushed into surgery to remove the layers of black, dead tissue.
‘Dad is the kind of guy who never complains about anything,’ his daughter Stephanie said (Mr Beck pictured centre with his daughter Stephanie and her partner Ash)
In the past two weeks, Mr Beck has undergone seven surgeries to remove dead skin, muscle and tissue affected by the deadly bacteria
He was then flown to The Alfred where he remains in a critical condition, according to The Age.
In the past two weeks, Mr Beck has undergone seven surgeries to remove dead skin, muscle and tissue affected by the deadly bacteria.
Doctors were forced to remove five kilograms of tissue, and a quarter of Mr Beck’s torso.
Mr Beck is also administered hyperbaric chamber treatments twice a day to help prevent the infection from spreading and to treat his open wound.
The Victorian labourer has been in an induced coma in the Intensive Care Unit since November 6.
Doctors told Mr Beck’s family his career as a labourer would be over, if he survived.
They also said he faced a long and painful recovery.
Doctors told Mr Beck’s family his career as a labourer would be over, if he survived
‘The doctors told us it is the most aggressive type of flesh-eating bacteria there is, but my dad is a fighter,’ Stephanie said about Mr Beck’s (pictured) condition
‘The doctors told us it is the most aggressive type of flesh-eating bacteria there is, but my dad is a fighter,’ Stephanie said.
Doherty Institute expert Dr Deborah Williamson said some people who presented with gas gangrene died within 24 hours.
She said those who survived the infection often walked away with a loss of body function or major disfigurations and amputations, The Age reported.
Mr Beck’s family created a GoFundMe page to raise much needed funds for his medical bills.
Since the page was created on November 6, it’s raised almost $22,000.