A Griffin mother of two is in intensive care, battling flesh-eating bacteria. Desiree Alford thought she had a bad cold or the flu, but she soon learned it was much more serious.
Alford's parents that say in addition to the flu-like symptoms, she had one small red spot that quickly grew. By the time they rushed her to the hospital, doctors had to do emergency surgery.
Cathy and David Bagley said they've seen the news about Aimee Copeland and others with flesh-eating bacteria, but they never imagined it would happen to anyone they know, much less their daughter.
"Wham – it's right here in your family. You wouldn't think that it would happen to your family," said Cathy Bagley.
Desiree, 28, initially thought she had the flu but when her condition got worse, her parents rushed her to Upson Regional Medical Center. Doctors there broke the news that she had contracted flesh-eating bacteria.
"He said if we hadn't got her here when we did, that she wouldn't have had a chance," said David Bagley.
The Bagleys say they have no idea where she could have gotten the bacteria. She's a stay-at-home mother of two whose world revolves around 4-year-old Jermaine and 6-year-old Ashlynn.
Doctors have already removed two baseball-sized lumps of flesh and muscle.
"They removed 90 percent of the infection on her backside," said Cathy Bagley. "He had to go in and scrape it out. I saw it for the first time, it's just awful."
The Bagleys stay at the hospital, nearly around the clock, hoping and praying their daughter will beat the bacteria.
Desiree could be in the hospital for several more weeks, which will be followed by months of rehab. The Bagleys say she doesn't have any insurance and they don't have any idea how they will pay the mounting medical bills. But right now, they're just trying to stay focused on Desiree recovering and getting out of the hospital.
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A local couple is happy to hear that members of a morning radio show fired for mocking a former ex-NFL star battling ALS now admit that they went too far.
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Desiree Alford is battling flesh-eating bacteria.
