Peter Murphy, 61, from Mansfield, was left in a coma for four days after being bitten by a spider in the UK. The bite led to necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating bug, and he underwent four operations. After recovering, he and his wife Toni lost a combined 10st 2lb.
Spider bite leads to coma
When Peter spotted a "strange" spider crawling across his bed, he didn't think much of it and carefully placed it outside. The next day, he felt pain across his right wrist with slight swelling and redness. A few days later, he was unable to speak properly.
After rushing to hospital, he was placed in a coma. The last thing he heard were doctors advising his wife, Toni, 62, that if the infection continued to travel up his arm, they would need to amputate. Peter described the spider as having a "see-through skeletal body with red eyes".
Flesh-eating bug diagnosis
After coming around from the coma and following four operations, Peter learned he had contracted necrotising fasciitis. He also suffered from severe cellulitis and sepsis during the ordeal in October 2022.
Peter said: "At this point, my life was flashing before my eyes. I turned to Toni, managed a smile, and said: 'I don't think I'm going to make it through this. This could be goodbye. The shock of it all was overwhelming."
He added: "Various doctors were rushing to my bedside and explaining to me what they thought was happening. They needed to contain and get it under control very quickly or it would rapidly move to other parts of my body."
Family tragedy and recovery
While in hospital, Peter reflected on his brother passing away the week before. He also discovered his sister had been admitted to the ward above him. He said goodbye to her, and she passed away shortly afterwards.
Peter said: "I suppose, in my mind, I said my goodbyes and that was the last time I saw her as she passed away shortly afterwards. Maybe it was fate that this weird looking spider was sent to me and made me so poorly. It brought me and my sister together for the final time."
After recovery, Peter and Toni changed their eating habits, opting for poached eggs, tuna salad, and low-calorie bars. Between them, they lost 10st 2lb in one year. Peter and Toni now play badminton three times a week and support SMILES, a charity raising funds for causes including Cancer Research UK, the Irish Cancer Society, and Alzheimer's Research UK.
