After college student recently lost her leg to a flesh-eating bacteria, another young woman is fighting for her life from the same threat. INSIDE EDITION reports.
It's happened again - another young woman is fighting for her life, her body ravaged by a rare, flesh eating bacteria.
New mom, Lana Kuykendall became infected after giving birth to twins; she's in critical condition in a South Carolina hospital as doctors struggle to save her limbs.
This new case comes just days after college co-ed Aimee Copeland lost her leg to flesh eating bacteria. She caught the disease after cutting her leg in a zip-line accident and falling into a stream in Georgia.
Now, everyone is asking - can it happen to me?
Dr. Richard Besser said, "It spreads, it destroys tissue. It is able to spread quickly through the layers of your skin killing everything in its path."
The bacteria are mostly found in stagnant water and enter the blood stream through an open wound. The odds are not good, one out of every four of those infected die.
Dr. Besser said, "What you need to look for is pain, redness, soreness in the area where you have a wound. If you have that, don't ignore it, go to the doctor right away."
The latest victim is a paramedic; she caught the infection early, when it was just a black spot on her leg. She rushed to the emergency room but the infection spread like wildfire and now doctors are fighting to save her leg.
Co-ed Aimee Copeland suffered extreme pain for four days before she was diagnosed. It was too late to save her leg and now she may also lose her fingers.
Katy Hayes knows all too well how flesh eating bacteria can destroy your life. She was infected after giving birth to her daughter.
"You don't realize the value of hands until you don't have them anymore. I basically had tremendous abdominal pain, it took about four days for us to get down to brass tacs, get in the hospital, and force somebody to do something with me," said Hayes.
The delay cost her arms and legs.
Dr. Besser said, "This type of flesh eating bacteria, this type of infection is extremely serious and it is deadly if it is not treated."
