Doctors have stripped a Florida man of a quarter of his skin after he was infected by a flesh-eating bacteria.
David Ireland, 50, checked into an emergency room in Orlando, Florida, last week after exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Doctors quickly moved Ireland from a hospital room to the operating table to combat a bacterial disease that was attacking his body, according to the Miami Herald.
Doctors have kept Ireland in a medically-induced coma since Friday. In addition to having 25% of his skin stripped off his body, Ireland’s kidneys have failed.
Ireland was diagnosed relatively quickly with necrotizing fasciitis. Doctors caught the disease before it spread to his muscles and began treatment to counteract the bacteria quickly.
“It’s not a death sentence yet,” Ireland’s brother said.
“David is still in a life threatening situation but there are some small victories every day. I miss my best friend very much and pray every day that God will spare his life and bring him back home to me and our children,” Ireland’s wife, Jody, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up for the family to help with hospital bills and care for the couple’s two children. “My life isn’t the same without him so really praying for a miracle.”
