SPRING HILL, Fla. — A Spring Hill father is fighting a flesh-eating bacteria after returning from a Bahamas vacation.
Brian Roush and his girlfriend traveled to the Bahamas around Christmas time.
WATCH: Spring Hill father fighting flesh-eating bacteria after Bahamas vacation
His daughter, Brittany, said her father was looking forward to excursions like swimming with the pigs.
While on the trip, he scraped his ankle.
"He was walking with her somewhere and tripped and scraped up his ankle, just a little abrasion, road rash kind of thing," said his daughter, Brittany Roush.
Brittany said his father complained of flu-like symptoms while returning home from the trip.
"Overnight, he became extraordinary sick and was unresponsive in the morning. His partner called 911 and by the time he got to the hospital, he was already in septic shock," said Brittany.
Brian has remained hospitalized since early Jan. at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
"When he was in the ER, they did not know why he was sick. They thought maybe a virus at first, but they figured out pretty quickly he was septic," she said.
Brittany said her father was diagnosed with flesh-eating bacteria or necrotizing fasciitis.
Her father's liver, kidneys and lungs were failing and doctors placed him in a medically induced coma.
"The chances of survival with sepsis with multi-organ failure are about 20%, but with everything else going on, he was given maybe a 10% chance to live," she said.
Brittany said her father has made remarkable progress. Doctors performed reconstruction surgery on his ankle.
"They didn’t expect him to pull through, but he started showing signs of improvement. His lungs improved, his liver improved so he was able to be taken off the ventilator," she said.
A GoFundMe page is raising money for Brian's ongoing medical bills.
Brittany said when her father is healthy enough, she hopes to transfer him to a rehabilitation facility in Spring Hill. He will need physical therapy.
"He feels like it’s very important for people to like be prepared for life’s unexpected twists. We certainly were not prepared for this. It’s been difficult financially. It’s been difficult emotionally," said Brittany.
Brittany said she's appreciative of the medical team at Broward Health.
The family also said they're grateful for the overwhelming support from the community.
"I think that’s one thing, he’s found a lot of solace in how many people have stepped up to help and taken an interest and provided support," she said.
Share Your Story with Julie
From the courtroom to your commute, Julie Salomone works to share the issues that matter to you. She also focuses on the day-to-day issues in Sarasota County, so be sure to reach out to Julie to start a conversation.
.
How journalists battle the rise of AI fake news
As News Literacy Week kicks off in partnership with Scripps News, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska sat down with fact-checkers at PolitiFact to learn how they combat misinformation in the age of AI.
