New Braunfels native loses both hands after bite from a flea
One single flea caused a New Braunfels native's organs to fail and put him on a ventilator.
Michael Hardaway, 35, has had both hands amputated in the wake of a "severe and traumatic" flea bite last month. According to his mother, J'Leene, Michael was taken to the ER with what was thought to be the flu on June 19. His mother and father organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Michael, who now lives in Houston. The campaign has so far raised more than $43,000 of a $300,000 goal, with 300 donations in three days.
He was later admitted to the ICU with septic shock and put on a ventilator on June 20. Numerous antibiotics, beta-blockers, vasopressors and many other IV medications were used to treat Michael's organs, which were failing due to sepsis. On July 1, Michael was taken off sedation and opened his eyes a few days later.
"Doctors confirmed the reason for sepsis was typhus," J'Leene wrote in the GoFundMe fundraising campaign for Michael. "He was the victim of a severe and traumatic bite from one single flea, with unimaginable consequences. His hands and feet had dry gangrene. The same vasopressor medication that saved his life severely complicated the outlook of his extremities."
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Vasopressors, used to make blood vessels constrict or become narrow in people with low blood pressure, are commonly used in people diagnosed with sepsis. The medicine is distributed through an IV drip, and makes the heart contract more forcefully. This helps the body distribute blood to vital organs.
"On July 10, both of his hands were amputated up to his forearms," J'Leene wrote. "The first foot surgery of a handful is scheduled for July 20. We do not know how much of his feet are salvageable."
Hardaway described Michael as an "adorable, affectionate and kind-hearted young man" who is "incredibly smart and comical." Michael lives in Houston and is a full-time volunteer and part-time handyman and pet sitter, his mother wrote, which means he does not have any health coverage.
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Hardaway is known in the world of art festivals, community gardens, music festivals, J'Leene noted, and is always the first to help set up and the last to tear down. His mother and father are in New Braunfels.
"Michael has strength and will be undergoing an excruciating amount of surgeries, therapies and rehabilitation, mostly to restore activities of daily living," J'Leene wrote. "But he shouldn't have to worry about the financial pain."
Source: San Antonio Express-News
