Doctors were forced to amputate all four of Jo Rogers' limbs to save her life from aggressive bacteria she contracted from a tick bite.
According to family members, Rogers, 40, from Shawnee, Okla., had been in and out of three different hospitals since July 9 after returning from a trip to Grand Lake, according to the family's page on GoFundMe. She allegedly went into septic shock at one hospital and was placed in a medical coma. Throughout her stay, she was tested for a variety of viral and bacterial infections, including West Nile and meningitis, but all results came back negative.
As the infection spread through her limbs, doctors were forced to amputate. Her right leg was removed mid-thigh and her left leg was removed below the knee. Both of her arms were amputated mid-forearm and additional surgeries are allegedly being planned.
Doctors soon discovered they were dealing with an extremely bad - and rare- case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF).
"It's the worst case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever they'd seen", Roger's cousin Liza Morgan told CNN's Oklahoma affiliate KOCO, according to CNN.
The severity of Rogers' case was an anomaly, since it can usually be treated with antibiotics. However, treatment should start within the first five days of infection, and Rogers missed that time frame.
Unlike the severity of this case, however, infections are quite common. Hundreds of people contract the disease, reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of infection is three to 10 times the national average in five states, with Oklahoma being one of them.
The chance of infection from tick bites increase during the summer, and people become increasingly vulnerable to the fever as they age. However, only 1 to 3 percent of ticks carry the Rickettsia rickettsii bacteria, according to Oklahoma's health department, and to transmit it, the tick usually has to bite for four to six hours.
Now, with mounting medical bills, rehab, the need to purchase prosthetic limbs and other expenses, the family has started the page on GoFundMe for help.
