NEWDALE, Idaho — This story was initially published by East Idaho News.
A local father of two is fighting for his life in the ICU after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria that is eating away at his leg.
About two weeks ago, on Aug. 4, Jon McCoy came home from a long day at work.
“He came home not feeling well from work, just kind of some flu symptoms,” says Monica McCoy, Jon’s wife. “He went, and he took a nap, and when he woke up, his (right) leg was swollen and inflamed, and he said it felt like there were knives digging into his leg.”
The McCoys rushed Jon to their primary care doctor to try to get answers. But at the office, things only got worse.
“While he was in the doctor’s office, he was in so much pain that he started to pass out,” says Monica. “So they called the ambulance, and they rushed us to Madison Memorial Hospital.”
Once at the hospital, Jon was tested for a range of illnesses to determine what was going on with his leg. Monica says they eventually diagnosed him with cellulitis. It is a type of skin infection, most commonly of the lower leg, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Jon spent three days in the hospital on antibiotics, attempting to treat the infection. When he was released, Monica says he was given antibiotics to continue at home, but his leg continued to get worse.
“Through the weekend, his legs started getting worse. He started developing blisters, his leg started turning black, and he started to lose feeling in his leg,” says Monica.
On Aug. 12, Jon went to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, still in immense pain.
“They found out that he had a flesh-eating bacteria that was killing the tissues and the muscles in his leg,” says Monica.
Jon believes he got the infection from an itchy bug bite that he just couldn’t stop scratching.
“He was scratching it, and it broke the skin, which caused the bacteria to enter,” says Monica. “So it doesn’t have to be something major — it was just a bug bite and scratching it.”
On Thursday, Aug. 13, which is also Jon’s birthday, he had his first surgery to remove the dead tissue and muscles that the bacteria had already destroyed.
“During surgery, doctors found extensive damage. Jon now has three large, deep wounds on his leg—one approximately the size of a softball and two others around the size of baseballs,” says a GoFundMe set up by McCoy’s family. “The wounds are approximately three inches deep, and he will need a wound vac as part of his recovery.”
The night after the first surgery, Jon had trouble breathing and was placed on a ventilator.
Because of his serious condition and the risk of infection to other patients, most visitors are not allowed, and Monica is only able to visit him for an hour each day.
Jon focused on recovery for the next few days and had a few serious health scares during the waiting period for his next surgery.
“(On Saturday), Jon’s oxygen dropped dangerously low, and a Code Blue was called,” says the GoFundMe. “It was an incredibly scary moment for Monica to hear about.”
On Monday, Jon went in for a second surgery to remove the infected tissue and muscles.
“Now, he’s in the ICU Burn and Wound Unit at EIRMC, as they monitor his leg to make sure he doesn’t get any more infections,” says Monica.
While her husband has been in the hospital, Monica says she has been driving nearly two hours each day, back and forth between EIRMC and Newdale, to spend the allotted hour with Jon. In her remaining time, she is taking care of their two daughters as they start school.
“I’ve just been kind of maintaining,” says Monica. “We have two daughters, and it’s been hard for them. They haven’t been able to see their dad for a couple of weeks, besides a video chat here and there.”
Monica says that, through it all, Jon continues to be hopeful, often remarking that he can’t wait to get back to work at Stone’s Auto Group, where he is an auto parts representative.
“He’s a very good people person. He’s friendly, and everyone knows him,” says Monica. “He’s been worried about work this whole time, and I’m like, ‘You need to worry about your health.’ He has a really great customer base, and everyone loves him, so it’s been kind of hard for him to have to step back from work and take care of himself.”
As far as recovery goes, Monica says the doctors at EIRMC are helping Jon to make certain milestones as he progresses.
“Simple, stuff like getting up, if he can use a walker, if he can sit in a chair,” says Monica. “Then they can move him out of the burn unit and onto a regular floor. But it’s going to be a long recovery process. We’re looking at months because he has to regrow all of his tissues and muscles.”
Monica’s sister, Jessica Lang, has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Jon’s recovery and to help his family while he is in the hospital.
“We’ve had a really great support system. Everyone’s been willing to step up and help, and just simple stuff like mowing our lawn,” Monica says. “We’re being taken care of pretty well by the community; people are really caring about the situation and how they can help.”
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe. (Warning: Some of the pictures in the GoFundMe are more graphic than those we have shown here.)
