A 14-year-old boy nearly lost his leg after contracting a flesh-eating disease from a cut he sustained while jumping into a lake in Cheshire. Jacob Butler was swimming in the Blue Lagoon at Colliers Moss Park, near Burtonwood, during a heatwave when his right leg was cut to the bone by a piece of wire. The wound later became infected with necrotising fasciitis, a rare and life-threatening infection.
Infection and Emergency Response
Jacob initially called his father, Ashley Butler, 37, on the evening of April 30, saying he had a bad accident. Paramedics airlifted him to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. A nearby fisherman helped by wrapping Jacob's leg in a T-shirt to reduce blood flow, which his mother said saved his life and leg from amputation. Jacob underwent emergency surgery the next day and was discharged after a couple of days.
On May 13, his mother Rebecca noticed a smell of rotting flesh from his leg. She took him back to A&E, where doctors diagnosed necrotising fasciitis caused by Aeromonas Hydrophila, a bacterium found in brackish water. Rebecca said, "It smelt like death, it was horrific. Doctors told me if I hadn't come in when I did it could have been life-threatening."
Surgery and Recovery
Jacob underwent five hours of surgery to remove the infection. Rebecca said, "The doctor told me the bug had eaten around 15 cm of flesh. It was just his bare bone underneath, with no tissue left." He later had a calf muscle transfer and a skin graft from his thigh. He now has a 15 cm (6-inch) chunk of muscle missing from his leg but avoided amputation.
Rebecca said, "The whole ordeal has been devastating. I honestly thought he was going to die. At one point there were 30 doctors and surgeons discussing his leg." She has set up an Instagram page, JacobsWaterWarning, to raise awareness. Jacob urged others: "Please don't jump into open water as it can be very dangerous. I could have lost my leg or worse."
