A woman who survived a horrific car crash has revealed how a drug-resistant superbug infection began 'eating' her reconstructed face, leading to a decade-long medical nightmare.
A Life-Changing Collision and Reconstruction
Vanessa Carter, 47, from Torbay in Devon, suffered catastrophic injuries as a passenger in a serious collision in Johannesburg, South Africa, back in 2004. The accident left her with a broken jaw and nose, shattered cheekbones, and the loss of her right eye.
Her recovery in hospital lasted over a month, after which she embarked on an extensive journey of facial reconstruction. This complex process required a team of clinical specialists to rebuild different parts of her face, culminating in the fitting of a prosthetic artificial eye.
The Shocking Discovery of a 'Face-Eating' Infection
Six years after the initial accident, surgeons inserted a prosthetic implant to bridge a significant gap between her repaired cheekbone and nose. For a time, her recovery seemed on track. However, the nightmare was far from over.
One day, after she had been discharged, Vanessa felt an unusual wetness on her cheek. "I suddenly felt moisture on my face," she recalled. "I looked in my car's rear view mirror and saw pus leaking from my cheek where the prosthetic had been inserted."
She was diagnosed with a persistent infection that was eroding the skin around the implant, making it thinner and weaker each day. In emergency surgery, the facial prosthetic was removed and sent for testing.
A Battle With Antibiotic-Resistant MRSA
The results delivered a terrifying diagnosis: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a dangerous antibiotic-resistant infection. "I was shocked," Vanessa said. "No one had ever discussed antibiotic resistance with me."
"I was really scared. I could see my face being eaten away by this infection," she added. Doctors placed her on a last-resort intravenous antibiotic called Vancomycin. They warned that no further reconstructive surgery could be attempted for at least a year, and even then, her severe damage and high-risk status made success uncertain.
For three years, Vanessa battled the MRSA infection. After the infected implant was removed, she consulted a world-renowned transplant surgeon in Boston who devised a new treatment plan. She was then referred to specialists in South Africa.
After eight months, two further surgeries, and a third course of a different antibiotic called Clindamycin, her decade-long fight to complete her facial reconstruction finally ended.
A Vital Warning on Global Antibiotic Resistance
Vanessa has since become a powerful advocate for the responsible use of antibiotics, speaking at medical conferences and policy meetings. She issues a stark warning about the growing crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
"Many people assume antibiotics will quickly cure colds and flu, but these medicines are only effective against bacterial infections," she explained.
"Unfortunately, millions die annually and by 2050 it has been predicted that more people will die from AMR than cancer. We need to act now." Her own survival, she stresses, hinged on a last-resort drug working—a gamble that not all patients win.
