Woman Mistook Dangerous Flesh-Eating Infection for Cold and Lost Her Leg 0 7

A resident of the United Kingdom mistook a dangerous flesh-eating infection for a common cold and lost her leg. This story caught the attention of the Daily Mirror.

Friedel de Beer, a 51-year-old former swimming school owner, felt unwell and experienced pain in her leg in February 2023, but she ignored it as she was with her family in the French Alps. A few days later, she noticed that the skin on her ankle had turned red and developed blisters. The woman went to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis caused by Group A Streptococcus — this disease is often referred to as a "flesh-eating" infection because it spreads rapidly throughout the body after infection, causing tissue necrosis.

To stop the spread of the disease, doctors had to amputate the British woman's leg first below the knee and then above the knee. After several surgeries and physiotherapy, she learned to walk with a prosthesis and underwent additional procedures to ease the use of the artificial limb. De Beer now swims, kayaks, and spends time with her son, emphasizing that the experience has changed her priorities in life.