ROCHESTER, N.Y. \u2014 A man who lost his nose after a near-fatal infection is sharing his story in hopes of helping others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a teenager, Ted Baumgart of Chili loved motocross and he was good at it. \u00a0He took several spills over the years, breaking bones and was often prescribed opioids. \u00a0Before long, his passion for the sport played a part in his addiction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were selling them (pills) for too much, I didn\u2019t have the money\u2026 everybody was like, \u201coh yeah use fentanyl\u201d they talked about how much cheaper it is and it\u2019ll get you through a lot longer,\u201d Baumgart recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, eventually he turned to the streets to get drugs.\u00a0 \u201cIt only takes one moment, and it\u2019ll ruin your life, it ruined mine, it took me in a totally different direction than I wanted to go,\u201d Baumgart says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baumgart ended up getting an infection from street drugs that led to sepsis.\u00a0 \u201cI went to the hospital, and everything turned black, my nose, my ears, part of my hands,\u201d he recalls.\u00a0 While his ears and hands recovered, he lost more than half of his nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That happened nine years ago, Baumgart has been in recovery since, but he hasn\u2019t been able to afford the surgery needed to repair his nose, \u201cthey told me that it was cosmetic so the insurance wouldn\u2019t cover it,\u201d he tells News10NBC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baumgart says he has worked hard to stay clean since losing his nose but faces judgement every day for how he looks, \u201ctired of getting bullied, everywhere I go, having people make fun of me, look at me, gawk at me and say things that I don\u2019t appreciate. You try to brush them off but there\u2019s only so long you can have thick skin and that\u2019s kinda where I\u2019m at,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When asked how he responds to people who say his situation is a consequence of his choices, Baumgart says, \u201cI wish I could go back, but I can\u2019t so I try to move forward and take one day at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baumgart says he decided to share his story now in hopes it might help others, especially young people with big dreams, \u201cif I can have one kid not pick up and use and decide not to use because of my story, it\u2019ll all be worth it then,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n