Dad almost dies from flesh-eating disease after water fight with his kids

A father named Philip Pike thought having a water fight with his children would be a great way for them to bond. All was well until he fell into a rose bush.

Of course, at the time it wasn’t a big deal and he just brushed it off. On July 2017, he contracted a rare disease from a scratch he’d gotten from the rose bush and his life changed forever reported Viral Thread.

Philip Pike, 59, from Cambridgeshire, England initially thought nothing of the minor scratch until two days later. He became violently sick and ended up staying in bed.

The father was panicking because he couldn’t breathe and things became so bad that his wife had to call an ambulance. When he got to the hospital, doctors had to fight to keep him alive and he went into a coma.

"I've been brought back to life. I'd died I don't know how many times,” Pike stated. That period was scary for his wife who he said went through a lot.

“It's eating you from the inside out. It's horrible. People lose legs and arms.”

Philip Pike, Viral Thread, 2018

He eventually woke up from his coma in August 2017 after two weeks. His children didn’t see him during that time as they were frightened of the tubes surrounding him in hospital.

Pike was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis bacterial disease. This disease can result in blood poisoning and organ failure and affects the tissue beneath a person's muscles and organs.

One in five people who develop this disease don't survive like he did. Treatments for the disease involve antibiotics, amputation and the removal of infected tissue.

Pike had to have parts of his fingers, toes, and buttocks amputated. He also had a pacemaker installed and had to learn how to walk again.

This was the beginning of his long recovery process. Months on from the horrific incident, Pike still requires medication and is facing more finger amputations.

He shared that one just had to adapt to the disease. Since he’s been home, he’s gone on one walk outside on his own and that was quite a big deal for him.

During the day, he keeps busy by going on social media. Pike shared that there was a huge support group in America and he’s now found one in the UK.

He’s shared his story to raise awareness of necrotizing fasciitis.