FLESH EATING BACTERIA DIAGNOSIS
THE SWIGER FAMILY NEEDS YOUR HELP

On February 26, 2017 while home alone, Ken Swiger started feeling strange, not thinking clearly and knew something just wasn’t right so he dialed 911 before going unconscious.  

For the first 24 hours things were very unclear. The doctors were struggling to figure out what was happening in Ken’s body.  What they knew was there was an infection running rampant but they didn’t know what was causing it.  Ken couldn’t breathe on his own and was placed on a ventilator, his heart was pumping weak, his kidneys stopped working and the rest of his organs were starting to shut down.   Signs were not good and it was looking like hope was running out.

After further tests, the doctors concluded that Ken had contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis which started in his ankle and was taking over all his organs.  They would give him 24 hours to respond to their treatments or they were going to have to start amputating one or both legs if necessary to save his life.  Ken’s wife Marcia was told “life or limb?  If we don’t amputate, Ken will die!”   I can’t even imagine having that conversation with a doctor.

Necrotizing Fasciitis commonly known as flesh-eating disease, is an infection that results in the death of the body's soft tissue. It is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly

The next day (February 28th) there was little to no improvement and they started to make plans to amputate.  If they could remove the leg, they could stop the spread of the bacteria.  A team of surgeons was called in and one of the surgeons said he was not ready to give up yet.  He thought he could try one more thing before removing Ken’s limb. The surgeon proposed to remove the flesh down to the bone trying to leave the tendons and muscles undamaged to eliminate the infected area.  He also said he would put about a 1 foot incision on the inside of Ken’s leg to reduce pressure from the swelling and let air circulate around his leg/foot area, and they would flood his body with antibiotics.  This was the last ditch effort and should this not work, amputation was necessary.  Once the surgery was complete, Ken was immediately started on dialysis while in recovery.


After days of uncertainty, Ken’s body started to fight the infection, his body was accepting the antibiotics and things were looking a little better.  On March 7, Ken was removed from the ventilator and he woke up!  Against all odds...with the prayers & support of family, friends and strangers, it is truly a miracle that Ken survived, and even more so, he survived without losing a limb!  Ken was released from the hospital on April 10.  His kidneys are still not at 100% but with dialysis three times a week they are improving.  Ken has had 6 surgeries and 3 procedures so far but he has many more to go.  Ken will need multiple skin grafts and to continue the dialysis indefinitely.

The Swiger family needs your help!  Ken has NO MEDICAL INSURANCE & NO INCOME.  Ken was laid off from his job in August of 2016 and just recently started a new job on February 17...just 8 days before his life saving 911 call so his medical insurance was not yet active.  Ken’s wife Marcia does not work.  She is on permanent disability for over 15 years now because of permanent lung damage she suffered while cleaning up pesticides at court for a judge she worked for.  Her lung capacity is less than 50%.  So the little bit Marcia gets from state disability barely covers everyday expenses.  The Swiger’s had to put their house on the market and are in escrow now.

The Swiger’s are very private people but they are at a point where they have no other option but to ask their loving family, friends and other generous people for help.  There is absolutely no amount that is too small...every little bit will make a difference.  Anything you can do will go to an amazing family that is so gracious that God has given Ken another chance at life.  
Thank you!

Sincerely,
Kimberly S.