Carnivore infection is the same that almost killed actress of “The Chronicles of Narnia”
Briton Donna Corden, 51, had half her face removed and almost died following contracting flesh-eating bacteria in a domestic accident – but says the adversity helped her meet her current partner.
Corden got a small cut on his head when he slipped and hit his head on the oven in 2017. “It was tiny, probably a 1 centimeter cut,” he said in an interview with the tabloid. Daily Star.
The next day, her face began to swell and around her eye, away from where the cut was, black blisters appeared. The situation got worse and then her daughter Jayde, 31, called 911, who rushed Donna to the hospital.
Doctors diagnosed the woman with necrotizing fasciitis, a serious and rare bacterial infection characterized by rapid and progressive destruction of tissue under the skin, which was eating away at her face and almost reaching her brain.
The bacteria can enter the body through bruises or cracks in the skin and, normally, the body itself is able to fight the released toxins. People with diabetes, obesity, the elderly, people with vascular diseases or who use immunosuppressive drugs, however, are more susceptible to contracting the infection.
“I had surgery that saved my life. They literally had to remove half of my face. They were working around the clock there,” says Donna. She says that, every hour, 3 cm of her skin necrotizes.
Since then, she has had more than 15 surgeries and more to come. One procedure, to graft skin from her thigh onto her face, which was hollow, took regarding 11 hours. Now, she is hoping for yet another procedure to lift her mouth, as well as a tattoo to match the color of the graft to the skin on her face.
But, she says, because of the disease, she was able to meet the love of her life, James Olsen. The two met in preschool and got back together following Donna’s injury.
Infection nearly killed ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ actress
Last year, Georgie Henley, the interpreter of Lucy Pevensia in the saga “The Chronicles of Narnia”, revealed to have been diagnosed with the same infection. On Instagram, the actress spoke regarding the disease and vented regarding the surgeries she had to undergo, which left scars, in addition to being between life and death.
“It almost took my life and wreaked havoc throughout my body. It took me a long time to heal both physically and mentally, but I hoped that one day there would be the right time to talk regarding what happened. Today is a start,” Henley said in an excerpt from the publication.
Georgie says she has suffered from the infection for 9 years, but has only just now had the courage to reveal it. “The industry I’m a part of often focuses on a very narrow idea of what is considered aesthetic ‘perfection’, and I worried that my scars would keep me from getting work. The truth is that there is no ‘perfection’, but I still live with the shame of feeling different, exacerbated by the expectations that came with the beginning of my career.”
necrotizing fasciitis
Called necrotizing fasciitis, the infection is rare and serious, characterized by extensive necrosis and progressing very quickly. It is caused by bacteria, considered flesh-eating, that enter the body and infect the skin through wounds and cuts. Symptoms include blisters, fever, fatigue and pain – which go beyond the degree that would be acceptable in the face of small wounds, for example. Initial signs can be flu-like and also involve vomiting and diarrhea.
The progression of the disease occurs due to the bacteria intoxicating the body’s tissue – and eating. Treatment of the infection involves administering antibiotics and removing the contaminated region (skin) or wound — this can lead to amputation of entire limbs. The condition is considered a medical emergency because of its rapid spread. Failure to treat it can lead to blood poisoning (sepsis) and organ failure.
Donna Corden
Georgie Henley
