It was a long rehabilitation for a West Virginia teen who contracted monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis.
A 17-year-old West Virginia dancer who won a battle for her life against a rare, flesh-eating bacteria is being named a "Miracle Child" for her victory.
Olivia Kiger-Camilo will be honored on Aug. 6 at the West Virginia University Children's Hospital gala for her determination and spirit.
The teen didn't know what was wrong when her foot began to ache during a performance earlier this year.
"As a dancer, as an athlete, you kind of just brush it aside. I thought I maybe broke a toe. As the night went on and as we finally got back home, my pain just kept growing and growing," she said, according to the hospital.
Later, her alarmed parents took her to the local emergency room. Her foot had turned black and blue, her blood pressure had plummeted and she was running a fever.
She was airlifted in March by the hospital's transport team to WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in Morgantown.
There, was placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. She had a rare case of monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis, which is a flesh-eating bacteria. There are only about 2,000 cases a year, doctors said.
She underwent several surgeries to excise her dying flesh and replace it with skin grafts. By May, she was back home with a leg brace and undergoing physical therapy.
She is now running, walking and lifting weights because she hopes to attend the Naval Academy after graduating high school.
"The transport team saved my life and it saves my life every day," she said.
The Aug. 6 event raises funds for the hospitals transport and medivac team.
Related Stories
