After suffering a blood infection caused by an ingrown hair, a man was given a four percent chance to live.
Steven Spinale got an infection while trying to pull out an ingrown hair near his groin region, and doctors diagnosed him with sepsis.
Michelle, his sister, posted videos on TikTok that showed Spinale battling for his life in late 2022 after undergoing open heart surgery and being put into a medically-induced coma.
The immune system’s reaction to an infection may cause sepsis, a medical emergency that can lead to organ failure, tissue damage, and even death. According to the CDC, an infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites might be the culprit. Common signs and symptoms include a racing heart, fast breathing, disorientation, discomfort, temperature, and cold skin.
Sepsis is a life-threatening illness that requires immediate medical attention since the survival probability is much higher when treated early.
Michelle claims that thirty-six-year-old Steven was very ill a month before his hospital admission. Several hospitals rejected him because they believed he was exaggerating, she said in a TikTok video. They sent him home despite his bloody vomit.
The next day, they called 911 because Spinale was having trouble breathing. Upon Steven’s admission, the medical staff was perplexed by his physical manifestations and unable to determine their source.
Michelle reports that medical professionals found an uncommon bacterium in his system, causing his organs to shut down. He fell ill rapidly and had to be revived.
Over time, Steven’s body succumbed to a succession of problems, including influenza A, double pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, which rendered his lungs functionless. Doctors found that the infections had damaged his heart, and a minor stroke was the result. Doctors gave Steven a 4% chance of survival.
Michelle wrote on November 29, 2022, that Steven is on the mend after spending a month in a coma and receiving intensive therapy; he came out of it without brain injury. He has a ways to go, but he is making steady progress.
By the end of 2023, Steven had regained his ability to walk and was discharged from the hospital.
