Help Yvonne Fight the Flesh Eating Bacteria

At the end of July, Yvonne Dolan had finally found affordable  housing in Buffalo, NY during the pandemic. A feat on its own, but during the move,  her molar broke and she had severe dental pain . Trips to Urgent Care, and an emergency dental appointment, she found herself at ECMC ER within days of moving.

 

What we thought was a simple broken tooth became Necrotizing fasciitis, the “flesh-eating disease”, in her head. It is a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and can cause death. It’s typically caused when streptococcal bacteria enter the skin through a cut or abscess. Anyone can get it. It’s very rare in the head, and very serious.

 

Necrotizing fasciitis

 

Necrotizing fasciitis is a very serious illness that requires quick action and care in a hospital. Since necrotizing fasciitis can spread so rapidly, patients often must get surgery done very quickly. Sometimes, however, antibiotics cannot reach all of the infected areas because the bacteria have killed too much tissue and reduced blood flow. When this happens, doctors have to surgically remove the dead tissue. It is not unusual for someone with necrotizing fasciitis to end up needing multiple surgeries. serious cases, the patient may need a blood transfusion.

Necrotizing fasciitis can lead to sepsis, shock, and organ failure. It can also result in life-long complications from loss of limbs or severe scarring due to surgically removing infected tissue.

 

Treatment and Recovery:

 

Even with treatment, up to 1 in 3 people with necrotizing fasciitis die from this disease. As an inpatient, Yvonne went through 4 surgeries, multiple complications, blood transfusions. Still, it’s a long recovery, at least 6 months.

 

Help Yvonne:

 

We want to keep Yvonne alive, help her get better and keep her sheltered. She will still need help with these things over the next few months:

 

Routine medical supplies & prescriptions

Transportation to appointments

Living expenses – rent, utilities, food, meal replacement drinks, toiletries, household needs

 

Amazon Recovery Wishlist will be linked along with progress updates from Yvonne & photos

 

 

*More about necrotizing fasciitis: https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/necrotizing-fasciitis.html