Matt Murphy Survived a Deadly Bacteria to See the Birth of His Fifth Daughter
The Necrotizing Fasciitis Bacteria Almost Takes This Man's Life
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May 26, 2010
Matt Murphy is a rising culinary star out of New Orleans with a passion for life and food. After tripping on one of his daughter's toys he felt some pain in his knee but ignored it. He ended up in the hospital two days later near death, reports NBC's Today.
Murphy had contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh eating disease. The disease is extremely rare, so when he arrived at the hospital the staff had trouble figuring out what exactly was wrong with him. Luckily for Murphy there was one doctor who had previous experience with the disease.
Dr Frederic Wilson is one of the few physicians who has encountered the disease before and knew what was wrong with Murphy. Wilson said that by the time he reached Murphy he was going through organ system failure. Murphy's prognosis was bleak.
He was rushed into surgery where they cut away all of his infected tissue and put in him in a medically induced coma for six weeks.
Murphy is the only survivor of this disease that this particular hospital has encountered. They had seven previous cases but all were fatal. He has now made a full recovery and was present for the birth of his fifth daughter.
"It's a miracle," his wife Alicia told Today. "I have my wonderful husband who's healthy and here, and we're a lucky, happy family."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 500 to 1500 cases of necrotizing fasciitis diagnosed every year, and 20 percent of those who develop it will die.
The CDC provides a list of symptoms that are a precursor to the disease. Most often it is misdiagnosed because many of the symptoms are similar to those of also those of the flu.
The National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation is a non profit organization founded by survivors of the disease. They provide resources for survivors and their families and are able to connect survivors to local support groups. The organization is working to raise more awareness about this rare but deadly disease.
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