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<\/p>\nBOYNTON BEACH, Fla. \u2014 A Palm Beach County man is sharing his survival story after a rare flesh-eating bacterial infection nearly cost him his life and left him with thousands of dollars in medical debt.<\/p>\n
Andy Stough’s scars and bandages tell the story of a battle he is still fighting.<\/p>\n
WATCH BELOW: Boynton Beach man survives flesh-eating bacteria after 101 days<\/p>\n
Boynton Beach man survives flesh-eating bacteria after 101 days in hospital<\/p>\n
“I am lucky to be standing here with my arms and my life,” Stough said.<\/p>\n
In March, Stough said he was landscaping by the Intracoastal Waterway when he got cuts on his hands and his work gloves got soaked with rain.<\/p>\n
“It was a three-day process of being and looking fine to having my hands and arms looking like a big blood blister,” Stough said.<\/p>\n
What he thought was a minor infection turned into a rare flesh-eating infection that left him hospitalized at Bethesda East Hospital in Boynton Beach for 101 days, including a month in the ICU and in a coma for five days.<\/p>\n
“I was one day away from having my arms amputated and another day away from possible death,” Stough said.<\/p>\n
WPTV connected with Dr. Olayemi Osiyemi with the Palm Beach Health Network, a local infectious disease specialist, to learn how people can contract the infection. <\/p>\n
We asked Osiyemi whether it can be contracted from having minor cuts on your hands, getting into the water, doing landscaping, or using soil. <\/p>\n
“Absolutely,” Osiyemi said.<\/p>\n
Osiyemi also says that while the condition is rare, he has seen cases in Palm Beach County.<\/p>\n
“It’s not common \u2014 but when you do see it, the impact can be huge,” Osiyemi said.<\/p>\n
Four days before his birthday, Stough was released from the hospital. He is still physically recovering and now faces a new battle of overcoming nearly seven figures of medical bill debt.<\/p>\n
“I got a second chance,” Stough said. “I’ll never have full movement of my hands and arms again. But that’s the little stuff now.”<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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