A British holidaymaker died after grazing his leg on a piece of wood and swimming in the sea in Turkey, which led to an infection by a rare flesh-eating bacteria.
Despite amputating Phillip Maile’s leg twice, doctors couldn’t stop the infection from spreading. Phillip, 65, from Worthing, West Sussex, contracted necrotising fasciitis while on holiday in Oludeniz, Turkey, with his wife, Vanessa, in September 2022.
A few days after swimming in the Mediterranean, his leg began turning black and blue, although it was dressed in a waterproof bandage and doctors advised that salt water would be beneficial.
The father-of-three was rushed to the hospital on September 9. Over the next five weeks, doctors cleaned his wound and amputated his leg above the knee and then at the hip to halt the infection. Despite these efforts, Phillip died on October 13, 2022. His daughter Charlotte, 32, plans to run the Abingdon marathon to raise money for the Lee Spark NF Foundation, which raises awareness about necrotising fasciitis and supports affected individuals.
Charlotte stressed that her father loved swimming and wouldn’t want people to be terrified of the sea, emphasising the importance of seeking immediate medical help for any painful wounds to prevent the infection from spreading.
Charlotte revealed that the infection was caused by Vibrio vulnificus bacteria from the sea, which can trigger necrotising fasciitis. She was on a work trip in Ireland when her stepmother, Vanessa, informed her about Phillip’s condition.
Initially, doctors struggled to identify the cause of Phillip’s severe pain, as his leg turned blue and black. Charlotte and her siblings, Sarah, 37, and Edward, 35, were summoned to Turkey as Phillip was transferred to Antalya Lara Anadolu Hospital. Vanessa arranged accommodation nearby for the family.
Charlotte recounted their twice-daily walks to the hospital for updates from the doctors. In an effort to stop the infection, doctors performed debridement to remove dead or infected skin, but this proved unsuccessful. On September 14, Phillip was moved to the intensive care unit after developing sepsis. The doctors decided to amputate his leg above the knee to try and contain the infection.
Following the procedure, Phillip suffered septic shock and required dialysis. There was a brief period of hope when there were no signs of necrosis, but this was shattered on September 20 when the bacteria infection returned, necessitating further amputation.
Despite further surgery, the infection continued to spread, and Phillip passed away on October 13, 2022. After his death, Charlotte’s sister, Sarah, reached out to the Lee Spark NF Foundation, which was founded by Dee Cartledge after losing her son to the same disease in 1999. The charity’s support has been a comfort to the family.
Charlotte aims to raise funds for the foundation by running the Abingdon marathon on October 20, 2024, and has already raised over £2,500 on GoFundMe. She expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming support and donations, highlighting the foundation’s assistance during their darkest times.