'A Living Nightmare:' Woman Recalls How Flesh Eating Bug Destroyed Her Body

Emma Doherty has been left permanently disfigured after contracting a rare "fleshing-eating disease" called necrotizing fasciitis. But she's extremely lucky to be alive. In February 2021, Doherty complained of a sore leg and went to the hospital twice. She was diagnosed with an infection and given antibiotics but they didn't work and just days later she was fighting for her life. Doherty was rushed to hospital and after being diagnosed with sepsis—the body's extreme response to an infection—doctors were left with no choice but to place her into an induced coma. "I can't remember a thing to this day. It is better that I don't remember the pain or what happened, but it's strange," she told Newsweek. After nine days in intensive care, Doherty's condition rapidly worsened and medics gave her a 0.2 percent chance of survival.

What Is Necrotizing Fasciitis and Is It Common?

The CDC explains that necrotizing fasciitis is a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and can cause death. It is treated with antibiotics and surgery. Since 2010, approximately 700 to 1,150 cases occur each year in the United States. Newsweek reached out to emergency physician Ken Perry who explained the bacteria can enter the body through a "benign, innocuous type of cut or puncture," with the affected area rapidly becoming very painful. "One of the interesting aspects of necrotizing fasciitis is that the area does not always appear extremely infected. Normally it is customary to see a very red, inflamed area when tissue is infected. In necrotizing fasciitis, the infection is deeper and can actually not cause skin changes to the overlying tissue," he said. Perry, who is based in Charleston, South Carolina, explains the progression is "very rapid" across the connective tissues between muscles. He told Newsweek: "It can start in one area and very rapidly involve an entire extremity. Contrast this with an area of cellulitis, or abscess, which are more localized infections and take more time to spread to local tissue rather than underneath the skin on the fascial planes (the areas of connection between muscles). He describes the condition as "life-altering" and in some cases, "life-threatening." The CDC states that even with treatment, up to one in five people with necrotizing fasciitis die from the infection.

'I Refused to Turn the Life Support Machine Off'

Doherty's mom, Marie Keane, 54, spoke to Newsweek about her daughter's condition. She said: "We weren't allowed to physically see Emma but the doctor showed me photos and I will never be able to forget those images. "They still haunt me today, the infection had spread all over her body and her stomach was open. I could see her organs and intestines. "Emma's right leg had huge purple blisters on it and her left leg was jet black. "I can only compare her legs to images I have seen from the past of people who had the plague. "It was terrifying but I refused to turn the life support machine off because I knew she was still in there." On the ninth day in intensive care, Keane signed an amputation procedure consent form and Doherty's left leg was removed below the knee. She said: "The doctor promised he would do the best he could to save her limbs but at one point, there was talk that she may end up with just her left arm. It was absolutely devastating." In total, Doherty spent 39 days in a coma and underwent daily debridement, a procedure for treating wounds, to remove infected cells. Keane told Newsweek every day was "touch and go" but she refused to give up and continued to pray for her daughter.

'A Living Nightmare'

Doherty doesn't remember the days leading up to her hospitalization but she does recall the day she woke from her coma. "It was a living nightmare—the scariest thing was I could see and hear everything but couldn't move a piece of my body," Doherty told Newsweek. "With all of my strength trying to lift my head off the pillow and then passing out. I also kept having fits, it was so scary." Medics were shocked to see Doherty recognize her mom as usually patients suffer from post-traumatic amnesia which occurs after being unconscious for a long period of time. "The nurses told my mum I wouldn't remember my mum or myself. But I did," Doherty said. "I will never forget she said 'Do you know who this is darling?' and I could just about nod. "I had tears rolling down my face as she asked if I knew what had happened, but I didn't have a clue," she added. Doherty recalls looking down at her body to see open wounds and described her initial reaction. "The flesh was exposed, bones were exposed, and my right arm was the worst," she said. "It was wrapped in cling film and I could see everything, bones, veins, and muscles. "I thought I had been dragged underneath a train. I was devastated when I saw my stomach, I was in tears. Before this, I was a size eight and had just found my confidence again. "My world was turned completely upside down, I remember sobbing and wondering how cruel can life be?" The flesh-eating bug had ravaged 85 percent of Doherty's body and she stayed in hospital for 13 months. She had to learn how to walk and talk again but because of a lack of resources, Doherty says she didn't get enough physio and is still weak to this day. Eventually she was moved from a rehabilitation center to an old people's home more than 250 miles away from her mom. She told Newsweek: "I was placed in an old people's home because they needed the bed in the hospital. I felt guilty because I was feeling better. I understood someone might need it more than me." However, she became severely depressed. "I could only see my mum once a month, it was a dark time in my life," Doherty said.

'New Zest for Life'

Two years on, Doherty and her mom are living together in Blackpool, England, in a disability-friendly home. She is getting one 30-minute physiotherapy session a week—which she says is not enough. Doherty is currently crowdfunding via Go Fund Me to buy a lightweight wheelchair, a hoist and ramp for the car, an anti-stumble electronic prosthetic leg, hydrotherapy and private physio. Despite needing extra support, she admits her outlook on life has changed for the better. She told Newsweek: "I used to take the little things for granted but now I appreciate everything. I have a new zest for life and try to make the most out of every day. "I have been left with a complex injury so I am unable to get a basic prosthetic as it wouldn't work. So I am crowdfunding for financial help to try and rebuild my life again. "I am only 37, I don't want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. "I miss dancing with my friends, and going for long walks; all of these things that I know can be possible as I will put my mind to it and I will do it."

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Update 27/04/22, 03:13 a.m. ET: A new video has been added to this article. Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.