I am reaching out in lieu support for my fiancé' - Benjamin aka "Ben" West who is only 38 years, a very hard worker & a loving family man that loves the outdoors.

Just a normal fishing trip with his Dad & kids & I...He contracted the flesh eating bacteria 'Vibrio' from the Gulf - we were in St. Joe under the intercoastal bridge catching blue crab & mullet on 8/23/2025. Benjamin began complaining of serious burning in his foot & ankle & it began to swell terribly. It was the worst pain he's ever felt & he kept telling me his leg felt to be on fire. So on 8/25/25 he was given a misdiagnosis of cellulitis & sent home on antibiotics. The antibiotics sent this bacteria hay wire. It began to blister & Benjamin started to decline extremely fast. His blood pressure was 84/46 when we got to the ER..((in less than 24hours (8/26/25), he was being worked up at Bay Medical in Panama City, Fl. with the most amazing doctors & nurses God could've blessed us with.))

( The DEATH zone & breeding ground that very awful night)

8/26/25 changed our lives forever - We never would have believed he would be on deaths door step, a ventilator & highly possibly becoming a amputee of his entire left leg. Doctors exact words were if it gets to your hip & above - "your good as dead" & "luckily you got here when you did, because the outcome wasn't going to be this". But with God on our side we have been through 2 surgeries where the doctor has taken the infection filled tissue & removed it, luckily as of the 2 surgeries on 8/26/25 and 8/27/25, the bacteria had not gotten into the muscle, which was amazing news. It did effect his left leg from the knee down but had NOT spread any as of 8/27/25. He has a concerning spot at the base of his toes that they are going to watch very closely. His next surgery is 8/29/25.

We still have a series of surgeries ahead of us & doctors say a LONG LONG road of recovery once we leave the hospital. Which leaves all our financial obligations including his health insurance completely on me...so I am going against my shame/pride & want to - reaching out for the help of any one that wants to donate; I can't thank you enough for the thoughts & most importantly the prayers...keep them coming - there definitely working.

He is my best friend, my soulmate, my rock, a wonderful father, a great provider and his only concern before going into surgery was - what about all our bills. I told him I would make it happen the best I could - I didn't care what we had & didn't as long as I had him when we were done with all this, NOTHING ELSE MATTERED!

Mine & Ben's request - STAY OUT OF THE WATER GUYS! PLEASE!!! Do NOT take the risk, this is a nasty nasty bacteria that's taking people lives & if not their lives, their limbs...it is NOT worth it I promise & IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU...Benjamin is a very HEALTHY 38 year old man with NO HEALTH problems that became septic in less than 24 hours & fighting for his life...please pass this along!!

Ben and Bernie Stewart a Vibrio survivor from Pensacola; that drove over to meet Ben after hearing his story on the news! On 9/6/25.