A British man developed a flesh-eating disease that infected his genitals after undergoing a minor medical procedure during a recent business trip to Costa Rica, according to a report.
Colin Graw, 47, who traveled to the Central American country to pursue a business opportunity, underwent the operation and was discharged the same day, but soon developed intense pain, LancsLive reported.
Four days later, doctors told him he was suffering from necrotising fasciitis, a rare but serious flesh-eating bacterial infection that affects the tissue under the skin and surrounding muscles and organs.
Making matters worse, he contracted Fournier’s gangrene, a form of necrotizing fasciitis that affects the scrotum, penis or perineum, according to the outlet.
Graw underwent grueling surgeries to remove the infected tissues and was left with multiple wounds and intense pain.
He has been put on antibiotics to fight off the flesh-eating disease but is susceptible to more infections and goes to the hospital three times a week to prevent them, according to LancsLive.
“It’s been absolutely horrific for him, he is in exceptional amounts of pain, he can’t sit properly — he only had a 30 percent chance of survival because it’s such a rare bacterial infection and there aren’t many antibiotics that can treat these types of infections,” his sister Tanja Wilis, 49, told the outlet.
“He is in Costa Rica, he’s in the public hospital there, he’s got no family, he’s got his girlfriend but he was weeks in hospital where very few people spoke English, absolutely no visitors allowed, no family around dealing with what was a near-death experience fighting for his life for week. It’s just been awful,” the resident of Parbold in the UK added.
In late January, Willis flew to Costa Rica to be at Graw’s side but was only allowed a brief opportunity to hold her brother’s hand.
“They’re still trying to fight off infections that are highly resistant to antibiotics. He is too ill to travel so we’re not in a position to get him home,” she told LancsLive.
“Since the visit, I’ve been in contact with Katya, his partner who he is now at home with, and we communicate via Whatsapp and social media so that I can get regular updates on his progress and treatments,” Willis said.
“I think he was exceptionally unlucky to contract bacteria like that. He was on the beach one day, and three days later he was in hospital fighting for his life, it happened so quickly,” she said.
“It was just supposed to be a day procedure. He just got an infection and it literally escalated from something minor to him being lying on his death bed,” the sister added.
The medical costs have so far amounted to about $105,000 but with the additional treatment required, it has been estimated the total will be as high as about $200,000, according to a GoFundMe account she has set up.
As of Thursday, it has raised about $14,000 of its goal of $210,000.