PORTLAND, OR – A local family is trying to recover both physically and financially after both suffering a devastating infection.
Justin and Jennifer Altig-Atwood had both contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection. The CDC says are less than 1,000 Americans are afflicted annually. But what’s even more unusual is that the couple said their cases are not believed to be connected.
“You don’t expect your husband to be down with something like this and then a month later you end up getting sick with something similar. At first initially I thought it was a bug bite,” Jennifer told KGW News.
Justin spent five days in the hospital at OHSU in July and required surgery to his leg. Jennifer spent 16 days at OHSU and needed five surgeries with more to come. Both are happy to be alive, but they say recuperating has been a struggle.
“Chaos, absolute 100-percent chaos,” said 35- year-old Justin. “I mean, we were hoping to get our feet back underneath ourselves… and now we need some help.”
The family currently lives with Justin’s parents and the couple’s 8-year-old daughter. Justin can’t work because of Jennifer’s need for full-time care. The family is covered by Oregon Health Plan but day-to-day expenses are mounting.
A GoFundMe page has been created to accept donations online.
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