NEWPORT, R.I. — A Johnston firefighter who lives in Newport lost his hand to flesh-eating bacteria.
It seemed like a simple injury at first, suffered while Braden Leonard was mountain biking in Newport. But it quickly turned into a near fatal infection.
Leonard, a nine-year veteran of the Johnston Fire Department, fell into some thorns while biking in his off-time at the beginning of June. One thorn punctured his hand, and what turned out to be so-called flesh eating bacteria set in.
He was hospitalized for 10 days and in an induced coma for five days of that. His right hand was amputated as a result.
Leonard said Friday that he is in good spirits now, six weeks after he nearly died.
“I consider myself pretty lucky. People say, you have a great attitude. I had a 30 percent chance of survival when I started out in the hospital,” Leonard said.
Braden said he wants to go back to his job as a firefighter. He said all the support he’s had from his colleagues is an inspiration.
A fundraiser is planned for the end of the month.
Group A streptococcus, which can live harmlessly on the skin or cause a strep throat, is also the leading cause of flesh-eating bacterial infections. They also can be caused by several other organisms, including aeromonas hydrophila, staphylococcus aureus and vibrio vulnificus.
One can improve their odds of surviving the disease, starting with quick attention to what seem like minor skin openings: When you get that paper cut, when you cut yourself a tiny bit with a knife, when a staple punctures your finger, when you prick your finger with a rose thorn — the smallest, tiniest opening is an opening that bacteria can get into— and it can kill you. The preventive is don’t ignore these things. Go and wash it, put antibacterial ointment on it and cover it.
Second is recognizing that these infections can send out warning signs, including pain that’s disproportionate to the size and scope of the injury. And it’s not just a little bit of pain, it’s pain like you’ve never felt before. Other signs can be flulike symptoms, lethargy and even feeling delirious or buzzy. That is the time when you need to get to the doctor. Just get to the emergency room.
Sources: [NBC 10 WJAR, ABC News]
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