Ribchester mum in drive to raise awareness of flesh-eating disease (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Ribchester mum in drive to raise awareness of flesh-eating disease

A RIBCHESTER mum who lost her son to a rare flesh-eating bug is hoping a charity day will fund her efforts to spread awareness of the disease.

CAMPAIGN Doreen Marsden

Doreen Marsden’s son, Lee Spark, was 23 when he became infected with Necrotising Fasciitis (NF).

A severe streptococcal infection, NF has been dubbed ‘galloping gangrene’ because it kills human tissue at a rate of inches per hour, eventually causing vital organs to fail.

Contracted from a wound or surgery, it normally affects people with low immune systems, or those on medication.

Lee developed NF after suffering from a simple tooth abscess. His brother, Martyn, phoned their mum to say Lee had the flu.

TOOTH ABSCESS Lee Spark, right, on holiday with his brother, Martyn, in Tenerife in the late 90s

But in three days the bug had devoured the back of his throat and eaten away at his lungs, kidneys and torso.

Doreen, 57, of Moor Hey Farm, Knowle Green, said: “He was fit and healthy. But he went to Sheffield for a job interview and he didn’t come home.

“It happened so quickly. That is very typical of the bug. You get flu-like symptoms at first and your blood pressure drops because your organs are fighting it.

“A part of your body you don’t remember knocking, or bumping, is hurting, and doctors sometimes give an anti-inflammatory to help the pain.

“That can mask a reading that shows the disease, and it is all time wasting I’m afraid. However, if it is diagnosed early, it can be treated with antibiotics.”

Doreen, a former doctor’s receptionist and Cruse bereavement counsellor, set up the Lee Spark Necrotising Fasciitis Foundation following Lee’s death 12 years ago.

She said: “We made a medical training DVD at a cost of £15,000. It was excellent because a lot of consultants and surgeons gave their time free of charge. It is now being sent all over the world upon request.”

Doreen has organised a charity event at her home on Saturday, August 6, with the help of husband Chris, 65.

Starting at 1pm, the main attraction will be a clay pigeon shoot.

Admission is £5 for adults, including five clay shots, and £2.50 for children over 10.

There will a barbecue, refreshments, raffle and tombola, and children’s activities, including face- painting, welly-throwing, an animal hunt and lamb petting.

For more information about the charity’s work and NF visit www.nfsuk.co.uk

FACTFILE

• Necrotising Fasciitis is a form of gangrene caused by bacterial infection.
• There are between 500 and 1,500 cases in the UK each year. However, it is difficult to diagnose and this figure may be higher.
• Around 10per cent of sufferers do not survive. The germs which cause NF are very common and, in most people, are responsible for things like scarlet fever, skin infections and sore throats.
• A small cut, or bruise, can provide a port of entry for the bug. Very rarely, there can be an extremely aggressive reaction and the infection becomes NF.
• Usually affecting the arms or legs, it releases harmful toxins that block the supply of blood to surrounding skin and muscle tissue, causing it to die.