Doctors amputated a veteran’s leg after she contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while vacationing in the Bahamas, according to her GoFundMe page and a local report.
Jennifer Barlow’s brother found her unconscious on the kitchen floor of her Atlanta residence after she returned home from her trip, Atlanta News First reported Tuesday. She was taken to the VA hospital with a bright red, swollen right leg. She spent four months in the Grady Hospital trauma center, according to the outlet.
The bacteria spread quickly and she had to be rushed to the hospital after her brother found her unconscious at her home. https://t.co/K13HAmq1U2
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) August 9, 2023
“It was like an amazing trip that I never thought would lead to something like this. You know? Me almost dying,” Barlow told the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Perfect Storm’ Of Flesh-Eating Bacteria Hitting US Beach, Researchers Believe)
“They knew immediately that I was septic and that’s where I got put into surgeries immediately and I went into a coma for 10 days,” she continued, speaking about the day her brother rushed her to the hospital.
Barlow underwent 33 surgeries to eradicate the infected tissue before her doctors ultimately decided to amputate the extremity, Atlanta News First reported.
“When I woke up, I had what looked like a zombie leg,” Barlow said. “It looked like a dog had gotten a hold of it. And just chewed all over it. I had nothing of a leg left.”
The 33-year-old veteran is now adjusting to life without her limb, insisting it is crucial for people to see a doctor if they suspect something may be wrong.
A GoFundMe page was established to support Barlow as she navigates the “traumatic and life-changing experience” of contracting “a rare flesh-eating bacteria causing necrotizing fasciitis.”
“I feel like I’m enjoying every moment of every day a little bit more than before this accident,” Barlow told Atlanta News First.