It was only supposed to be a cold.
Almost all of us will get a cold at one point or more this year, again almost all of us will be fine, but as we’ve shown you before, none of us can take that fact for granted.
Alex Lewis came down with what he had assumed was a run-of-the-mill cold, but in reality he had contracted a rare strain of streptococcus. He ignored it and it cost him everything.
Streptococcus is common infection that can lead to tragic complications. For Lewis, the ordinarily harmless germ caused a severe case of blood poisoning. The resulting toxic shock syndrome put him in a coma – but his troubles were just beginning.
Daily Mail
Common Illness
Streptococcus is a commonly occurring bacteria that causes millions of infections around the globe. We mostly know it was Strep Throat, sometimes when it’s really bad we call it Scarlett Fever.
The infection can manifest into septicemia, or blood poisoning. This happens when the blood becomes too full of toxins that the body begins to shut down.
Helpless
For Alex Lewis it was nearly the worst case scenario. As his infection raged throughout his body his doctors and family could only look on in horror. They gave him just a 3% chance of survival, eventually putting him in a medically induced coma.
DailyMail
As he lay there they saw symptoms that would lead them to take drastic action. His legs, arms, lips and ears were beginning to turn black – his body was dying from the inside out.
Treatment
Left with few other options, the doctors began cutting away the dead tissue.
