Category: Health

Laser Eye Surgery Ruins Man’s Life

A former pharmacist has told how laser eye surgery left him suffering from pain so horrific he felt suicidal.

Sohaib Ashraf underwent the surgery nine years ago and life has never been the same again.

The now 36-year-old dad-of-one had to give up his job as a pharmacist and lives in constant, excruciating pain.

For a long time doctors couldn’t work out what was wrong with him, but he was eventually diagnosed with recurrent corneal erosion syndrome, dry eye and neuropathic pain.

He says he’s spent tens of thousands of pounds towards treatments and medication in a bid to ease the suffering, but to little avail, reports Manchester Evening News.

Having worn glasses since childhood, Sohaib had always dreamed of having 20/20 vision and at the age of 26 he started thinking about laser eye surgery.

“I did a bit of research into the surgery and saved up a bit of money for the first time in my life,” he said. “And what better to spend your money on than something that would improve you?”

In 2013 he underwent the surgery at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and apart from some slight discomfort afterwards everything seemed fine.

But just a few weeks later, Sohaib woke with an excruciating stabbing sensation in his eyes. He also had “halos” and glare – as though he was looking at the world through a “dirty car windscreen”.

Sohaib, who lives with his wife and young son in Preston, was working as a pharmacist at the time but his agony became so debilitating, he was forced to give up his job and a career he’d spent years studying towards.

“The pain was just unrelenting,” he said. “I was suicidal. I was forced to look for a new career where I could work around my eye pain. That was the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life. I had to study and find a new career while I was in so much pain.”

Nine years on, the terrible side effects remain. Sohaib still struggles with pain every day and says he’s now “just surviving”.

What particularly frustrates him is that he chose to do the operation.

“The worst thing is blaming yourself and realising that I did this to myself and I chose to do this,” he said. “I do more research when I go to buy a TV, looking at all the specs and using comparison websites. But with this – I suspended my judgement.”

Sohaib was treated with LASEK surgery, a procedure where a cutting laser is used to change the shape of the dome-shaped clear tissue at the front of the eye (cornea) to improve vision.

Once he began experiencing side-effects from the surgery, he visited his clinic month after month for help, but his doctor struggled to find the root of the cause – telling him he was suffering from dry eyes.

“This went on for years, me constantly going back to the doctor,” Sohaib added. “He was getting sick of me. He couldn’t see the cause of the pain. To him, I was wasting his time.”

Eventually, doctors diagnosed Sohaib with recurrent corneal erosion syndrome, which is when the cornea’s outermost layer of cells fail to attach to the underlying basement membrane. He was also diagnosed with dry eye and neuropathic pain – the latter is caused by damaged nerves.

Sohaib’s conditions see him wake up every hour to put drops in his eyes – meaning he hasn’t had a full night’s sleep in nine years.

Every year, around 100,000 people in the UK undergo refractive eye surgery, ranging at a cost of £1,200 to £2,700 per eye.

There are a number of different procedures, including the well-known surgery LASIK, where a flap is cut in the cornea and a deeper layer of the eyeball shaped. There is also LASEK, the type Sohaib had, which reshapes the eye’s surface.

One of the biggest laser eye surgery stories to hit headlines was in 2018 when US meteorologist Jessica Starr committed suicide after having LASIK. The 35-year-old took her own life just weeks before Christmas after struggling with side effects from the procedure.

The Fox 2 Detroit weather presenter was forced to take a month off work because of the pain and vision problems she was experiencing. At the time of her death, she had two young children aged five and three.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), where Sohaib previously worked, a haze effect is one of the most common complications seen across laser eye surgery patients. Across different types of treatment, 0-31% of eyes treated with PRK were affected, 0-25% of eyes treated with LASEK were affected and 0-2% of eyes treated with LASIK were affected.

Other problems included difficulty seeing in dim light and seeing ‘halos’ of light around things at night. The NHS says common side effects of laser eye surgery include mild and gritty discomfort and visual disturbances including glare from oncoming headlights when driving at night.

According to the United States’ National Library of Medicine, around 1 in 900 people were found to suffer from Neuropathic Corneal Pain, one of the most severe complications. The damaged nerves can cause sensations such as burning, stinging and eye ache.

But Sohaib says more people need to be warned about the possible side effects – and has made it his mission to properly inform those considering having the surgery. He helps run a Facebook group called LASIK Complications Support Group, which almost has 8,000 members.

“As a pharmacist, I had people come in saying things cause cancer. I would close my eyes and shake my head and say, ‘If these things were dangerous, the doctor would tell you about it,’” he said.

“These procedures been around for decades. The issue I have is if they’ve been around for 20 years, where is the long-term safety data? It’s not like there are a lack of patients, they just haven’t collected it because they don’t want to. It shows it’s not as safe as they claim.”

A spokesperson for Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We understand Mr. Ashraf’s complaint was dealt with directly by the doctor who undertook this procedure on a private basis. Mr. Ashraf can still contact our dedicated Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) if he would like to raise any further concerns with the Trust.”

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Tourist Dies After Eating Burrito in Mexico

A British teenager has died from an allergic reaction in Mexico after eating a vegetarian burrito which contained sesame despite warning restaurant staff of his condition.

Joe Dobson, 19, from London, asked staff multiple times in Spanish and English to make sure there was no sesame in the food, South London Coroner’s Court heard.

Friends claimed that after just three bites, Joe knew there was sesame in his meal but said restaurant staff didn’t seem concerned about his allergy and wouldn’t call an ambulance.

On November 1 last year, Joe, who was with friends in the seaside resort town of Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, had left his EpiPen at their apartment but by the time they got back and used it was too late.

The 19-year-old became increasingly unable to breathe, slipping into unconsciousness before he died later in hospital.

It’s the latest in a string of allergy sufferers being killed by food that they have eaten as grief-stricken families campaign for more to be done.

The parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who died after eating a Pret a Manger baguette which contained sesame in 2016, have been campaigning ever since for stricter food safety laws.

They welcomed the introduction of ‘Natasha’s Law’ last year which require full ingredient and allergen labelling on food. 

They said they were also right behind the family of mother-of five Celia Mash – who had an acute dairy allergy – after she similarly died from eating a Pret a Manger wrap that was contaminated with traces of milk in 2017.

Coroner Mark Taylor told the court last Wednesday that Joe was allergic to sesame, eggs, milk and peanuts.

He also described how staff did not understand the severity of the situation. ‘The staff told him to drink some honey and lemon liquid and he did so to keep them quiet it seems,’ he said.

In a statement read out by Mr. Taylor, Harriet Preston, a friend of Joe’s, said she had gone to visit him and they were sharing an Airbnb together.

She said: ‘I have known Joe for three years. He had never failed to celebrate my achievements with me, no matter how small. I was aware of his medical condition and that he carried medication with him. I was visiting him while he was working there.’

‘We had a normal day, chilling on the beach, going to town, looking around the shops. We decided to eat at a fusion restaurant where they had been before. Joe ordered a vegetarian burrito and said no sesame and used the Spanish word. After ordering, there was communication between them to ensure there was no sesame in his meal.’

‘When the food arrived, it was sent back as Joe believed it contained sesame.’

Joe had tried to communicate with staff in basic English that if he were to eat sesame he would die.

But Harriet added: ‘Joe’s meal arrived again and I watched him put his torch light over it. He took two bites and said no, that’s got it in it. He went over to the bar staff, they were in denial. He could feel it in his throat. He said he needed an ambulance but the staff were reluctant.’

‘The staff did not treat our situation like what it was. There was no basic first aid or knowledge.’

A second friend who was also there on the night, Ryan, said that Joe made his allergies clear to the staff at the restaurant and that they had eaten there before with no problems.

He told the court in a statement: ‘This time he noticed the burrito looked different. He sent it back but it looked no different. He repeated his allergies multiple times. He took one to three bites, he felt something was wrong. He let the group know.’

‘He did not have his EpiPen on him. He was becoming more urgent in his requests, had the honey drink. He went to the apartment to get his EpiPen. He ran to the taxi and the driver was very casual, walking slowly to the door. He did not understand the severity at all.’

‘This escalated by the time we got to the apartment. Joe went straight to the lifts. He fell over.’

‘I ran upstairs to get the pens, got them and ran back down. Joe had managed to crawl into the lift and come up to our floor so I dragged him out of the lift and got the pens out but the pens did not help him.’

The coroner described how after Joe had slipped into unconsciousness, a police car took him to the local hospital but doctors were unable to revive him and he died that evening.

Mr. Taylor said: ‘It seems there was a gap of 10-15 minutes before the pen could be used. I have no evidence to tell me whether it would have made any difference in terms of outcome.’

‘I suspect there are a good many factors to take into account, the amount of sesame and absorbtion factors. It seems very clear to me that Joe did all he reasonably could have done to warn the restaurant not to serve him food containing sesame and even checked himself.’

‘And it is very clear to me that it was the sesame in the food served by the restaurant that caused the allergic reaction.’

‘Joe acted unwittingly in eating the food with sesame which caused the fatal reaction. This should not have happened and to someone like Joe of his age.’

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Woman Sues McDonald’s for Serving Her Coffee ‘Containing Chemicals’

A woman claims that a McDonald’s restaurant in Alabama served her a coffee containing a “harmful chemical” that damaged her throat and organs.

She said staff refused to call 911 or let her and emergency responders see the label on the chemical bottle so they could determine the appropriate treatment.

The plaintiff, Sherry Head of Florida, filed a lawsuit against the fast-food giant on September 19 seeking $13 million in compensation.

“The health and safety of our customers and employees is always a top priority,”  Gerry Murphy, one of the restaurant’s owner-operators, told Insider in a comment provided by McDonald’s.

Head ordered a caramel macchiato at the drive-thru of the McDonald’s restaurant at 3520 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan in December 2020. The lawsuit states she was told by one staff member that she couldn’t have the coffee because the machine was being cleaned, but then heard another say the machine was “ready to go.”

The staff member at the drive-thru then told Head her drink could be served. It came with a lid on the cup, the lawsuit stated.

“Plaintiff pulled forward, drank a portion of the caustic chemical liquid, and immediately began to experience a burning and numbing sensation in her mouth and throat,” according to the lawsuit.

At this point, Head removed the lid from the cup “and saw that the liquid was not coffee, but appeared to be some type of chemical,” it stated. 

Head pulled back through the drive-thru line and told employees what had happened, according to the lawsuit, after which the manager “screamed” at staff and said they should have been “more careful.” The manager told Head that it was “fine,” per the lawsuit.

Head then asked to see the label on the bottle of the chemical and asked what she should do, but was refused access to the bottle by the manager, the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit said the manager refused to call 911 or poison control and slammed the drive-thru window shut, leaving Head to call 911 herself.

McDonald’s staff also refused to grant emergency responders’ request to view the bottle once they arrived, the lawsuit alleged.

“As a direct result of drinking the dangerous chemical concoction served to her by McDonald’s, plaintiff suffered injuries to her mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, digestive tract, and other internal organs,” the lawsuit said.  “McDonald’s conduct towards the plaintiff was atrocious and utterly intolerable.”

Head is seeking $3 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit was filed against McDonald’s, its Alabama branch, and the two owner-operators of the franchised restaurant.

“Immediately upon learning of this concern, we conducted a thorough investigation to understand the facts,” Murphy told Insider. “We are aware of the complaint filed in the circuit court of Houston County, Alabama.”

The lawsuit listed a series of other instances where McDonald’s allegedly served cleaning chemicals to customers in drinks including iced tea, hot chocolate, lattes, and Coke.

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Surgeons Remove 63 Spoons from Man’s Stomach

In a bizarre incident, Doctors in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, India removed more than 63 steel spoon handles from the stomach of a 32-year-old patient who they believe had become addicted to swallowing cutlery.

The patient, identified only by his first name, Vijay, was rushed to a hospital at the weekend after complaining of severe stomach pain and had undergone a two-hour-long operation in a private hospital.

On being asked by the doctors, the patient, who is in the ICU for post-surgery recovery, said that he had been eating spoons for a year.

Dr. Rakesh Khurana, the doctor who operated upon Vijay, told reporters, “We asked him if he ate those spoons and he agreed. The operation lasted for around 2 hours and he is currently in ICU. Patient has been eating spoons for 1 year.”

His family alleged that Vijay was forcibly fed the spoons.

The man was unable to eat or drink and complained of feeling weak at the time of admission, prompting doctors to take X-rays and CT scans to determine the cause of the pain, a doctor informed.

The doctor further informed that the man broke the head off the spoons before consumption. They believe that the patient is suffering from a psychological condition, known as pica, which causes a person to crave and compulsively eat non-food items such as coal, metal, clay or dirt.

No complaint has been filed yet in this matter.

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Fake Doctor Appeared on TV and Performed Over 350 Illegal Autopsies

Shawn Lynn Parcells, 42, of Topeka, was sentenced to five years and nine months after pleading guilty to wire fraud connected to performing illegal autopsies. The U.S. Department of Justice said Parcell used his business National Autopsy Services LLC to “obtain fees from more than 350 clients for a total amount of $1,166,000,” the DOJ said Monday. “In many cases, the defendant failed to provide an authentic completed report.”

In May, Parcells pleaded guilty to the count of wire fraud. As part of a plea deal, nine other fraud charges were dropped. In that case, he used false credentials to convince a client he was qualified to conduct an autopsy, the DOJ said. Parcells was paid $5,000 for an autopsy report he emailed to a client, but no pathologist was involved in preparing the report, which is illegal.

In summer 2014, Parcells gained notoriety when he assisted in an autopsy in the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri. He claimed to be a pathology expert, appeared on TV regularly, and said he testified in court dozens of times. In fact, Parcells has no formal education in pathology, which was uncovered in an investigation that aired in November that year. He claimed to be an adjunct professor at Washburn University, which the school denied.

Parcells said he learned how to do autopsies from “on-the-job training,” observing and assisting pathologists at morgues. Officials interviewed said that Parcells had misrepresented himself as a doctor. “If they want to think I’m a doctor, that’s their issue,” Parcells told reporters. “People assume stuff all the time. And they may never ask. It’s bad that they’re assuming and that they never asked. If they want to think I’m a physician, then more power to them.”

In another case in 2019, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt also charged Parcells with conducting illegal autopsies. The AG alleged that Parcells contracted with Wabaunsee County and didn’t complete them, including having a licensed pathologist present. Last month, a Kansas county district judge in August banned Parcells permanently from doing business in the state and ordered him to pay more than $250,000 in restitution to 82 clients. “He is required to comply with all Kansas statutes that regulate any profession, and is prohibited from using any titles or initials that include professions in the healing arts or any other profession for which he is not educated, certified or qualified,” said a release from the Kansas Attorney General’s office.

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Dog Poop Sends Owner to the Hospital

A woman and her beloved dog became a lot closer in the most unexpected way.

Amanda Gommo, 51, was taking an afternoon nap when her chihuahua, Belle became ill and had diarrhoea.

The mom-of-three was asleep with her mouth open top and tailing with Belle who accidentally took a poo on her face.

Amanda ran to the bathroom to be sick but it was too late. She ended up in hospital with a gastrointestinal infection passed on from the pooch.

“I was having my afternoon nap with Belle, like I always do, when I suddenly felt something squirt in my mouth,” Amanda, from Bristol, UK said.

“I rushed to the bathroom and my son was in the shower, so before I washed it out I had time to take a quick snap!

“It was disgusting, and I was hurling violently for hours after – I just couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth.”

Amanda’s daughter took Belle to the vet where the dog was diagnosed with a nasty stomach bug and put on antibiotics.

Later in the day, Amanda started experiencing the same symptoms as Belle. She phoned emergency services who sent an ambulance to her home.

She was prescribed painkillers for her stomach cramps by the paramedics and instructed to drunk lots of water to flush out any potential infection.

After their visit, her symptoms became progressively worse, and 48 hours later, Amanda’s cramps had spread all over her body.

Amanda’s mum then rang emergency services who dispatched another ambulance, and this time she was transported to Bristol Royal Infirmary and immediately hooked up to a drip and given medication.

There, doctors diagnosed Amanda with a gastrointestinal infection that had been passed through Belle’s feces into her mouth days earlier.

She was kept under observation for three days while they rehydrated her with the electrolytes and glucose that she’d lost throughout the horrific ordeal.

Amanda said: “From the moment I got ill to when I was put on the drip, I couldn’t eat a thing.

“The cramps got worse and worse until I could feel them all over my body – even in my legs. They sent an ambulance the second time, and I was so dehydrated from being sick and having diarrhea that my kidneys had shriveled to half their size.”

“I was kept in hospital for three days until they’d flushed the infection out through a drip. My discharge note said that I’d suffered a gastrointestinal infection caused by a dog defecating in my mouth – something doctors had never witnessed before.”

“I’ve been drinking two Lucozades a day, plenty of tea and loads of water since it happened, and I’m happy to say both me and Belle are on the mend.”

“I’ve forgiven Belle for her little accident and I still love her with all my heart, but I will definitely be more mindful of what position we sleep in in the future!”

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Young Woman’s Battle with Chronic Lyme’s Disease Ends Tragically

Amélie Champagne, 22, struggled to find an explanation for her physical pain for years before she was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease in June 2021.

By then, the tick-borne bacteria had already taken a severe toll on her brain. On a Sunday this September — more than a year after her diagnosis — Champagne died by suicide.

Her father Alain, outgoing president of the Canadian drugstore chain Jean Coutu Group, recently shared the news in a poignant LinkedIn post. 

“It is with the heaviest of hearts (and still in shock) that I share the tragic news that our sweetheart Amélie (22) took her own life this past Sunday,” he wrote last week.

She is survived by Alain, along with her mother Joanne, brother Mathieu, and boyfriend Nic, according to the post. 

Lyme disease can cause a host of physical symptoms including joint pain, muscle aches, and chronic fatigue. Most cases are resolved with a few weeks of antibiotics, but the illness can progress if not treated early.

“Over time and despite the recent treatments, the disease had evolved way beyond the numerous physical symptoms and was now severely impacting her brain,” Alain Champagne wrote on LinkedIn.

‘Lyme essentially hijacked her’

The Champagne family bore witness to how challenging life with Lyme disease can be, Amélie’s dad wrote in the post.

Early symptoms can include fever, aches, chills, headache, and fatigue, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A telltale “bullseye” rash usually appears about a week after a bite from an infected tick.

The family went through “years of medical errance” in their home city of Quebec, before finally getting an accurate diagnosis for Amélie in the US. In that time, the disease progressed untreated.

The bacteria that causes Lyme disease can infiltrate the joints, heart, and nervous system if the disease is left to progress. Long-term complications include Lyme arthritis, which may require surgery; Lyme carditis, an infection of the heart that causes fainting and palpitations; and widespread nervous system dysfunction, including severe headaches, tingling pains, and facial paralysis.

“Over time, Lyme essentially highjacked her [sic],” Champagne’s father wrote. “She was so courageous throughout this ordeal … She decided to free herself from the unbearable pain.” 

Although Amélie’s father did not specify her physical symptoms, he said she continued to show resilience and optimism despite her pain. She persevered through her studies, and volunteered at a center for handicapped kids and a nearby homeless shelter.

In the wake of Amélie’s death, her family and friends are leaning on each other for support, Champagne wrote in the post.

“We will love you forever, and cherish every memory of our wonderful time together. You made us all better people. It’s now up to us to rise up to the challenge.”

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Woman is Struck by Rollercoaster Looking for Her Phone

A woman is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being struck by a rollercoaster while trying to retrieve her mobile phone.

Australian Shylah Rodden, 26, was visiting the Melbourne Royal Show on Sunday and walked onto the Rebel Coaster tracks where she was struck by a carriage and hurled several meters into the air before landing on the ground.

She was taken to Royal Melbourne hospital with critical head injuries, where she remains in a coma.

Her father, Alan Rodden, said: “The injuries are horrific. Horrific. She’s brain damaged. It’s pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck – there’s hardly a thing that’s not broken. I just can’t work out how the hell so much damage has been done.”

“Even the doctors have said they haven’t seen anything as bad as this for a long time.”

“Obviously I can’t talk to my daughter. She’s going to be in a coma for quite a while,” he added.

Showgoers reported hearing screams before the Rebel Coaster was shut down and cordoned off as emergency services responded to the incident.

Victoria Police said early investigations suggest that Sarah had walked onto the roller coaster track to retrieve her dropped phone.

“It appears, at this early stage, the woman, believed aged in her 20s, may have walked on and entered the track to try and retrieve a dropped phone before she was hit by a rollercoaster carriage, about 5:45pm,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“Sadly, the woman was then found injured on the ground.”

A statement released by the Melbourne Royal Show confirmed that a person had been injured on the Rebel Coaster ride before the area was cordoned off.

“We are working closely with the ride operator, WorkSafe Victoria and Victoria Police to investigate the issue further, however we can confirm that no one has fallen from the ride,” they said.

“The ride in question will be closed for the foreseeable future and updates will be made as information comes to hand.

“The visitor has been taken to hospital for further assessment.”

Melbourne Royal chief executive, Brad Jenkins, said all rides at the Melbourne Royal Show were officially cleared for operation before they began operating last Thursday.

He added that the operator of the rollercoaster involved in Sunday’s incident was “absolutely devastated”.

“‘It’s a very tight-knit show community … and everyone is totally devastated,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

“The show is about putting smiles on people’s faces and tragedies like this are just devastating for everyone involved.”

Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.

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Mystery Illness: 2 Dead 11 Hospitalized After San Diego Music Festival

Police have opened an investigation after two people died and 11 were hospitalized after falling ill at a California music festival.

On site medical staff said that attendees became unwell for “unknown reasons,” during the Nocturnal Wonderland music, dance and art festival in San Bernardino, California.

According to sheriff officials, two of those individuals were later pronounced deceased.

No further deaths have been reported.

One of the deceased was reportedly Eli Gillespie-Rodriguez, 27, of Montebello, who attended the music festival before passing away, according to his family.

His mother, Marcellina Rodriguez, allegedly told FOX11 that her son went with friends to the festival, where she claims he either bought or was given drugs.

While the man’s aunt, Monica Rodriguez Espinoza said Rodriguez died on September 17 – one day after the festival started – believing he may have accidently taken a drug laced with fentanyl.

 “We know Eli had a great love for life and his family,” Espinoza told the outlet.  

“He would never have purposely done anything to lose any of that.”

Mercilla Rodriguez later described her son as a loving man who was a “protector” of people.

Cops say the deceased have yet to be formally identified.

The claims come after sheriff deputies arrested several festival attendees on suspicion of rape , spousal abuse, domestic battery, being drunk in public and petty theft.

They also issued a citation for possession of a controlled substance, sheriff staff said.

Official figures suggest that 70,000 revellers attended the four-day event that began on September 16.

And police have urged anyone with information regarding the incidents that occurred at the festival is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department via the  contact the EDM Taskforce at the Central Station at 909-387-3545.

While callers wishing to remain anonymous can also contact the We-Tip Hotline at 800-78-CRIME (27463).

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Young Girl Almost Dies After a Spider Bites Her on The Lip

A British girl was left unable to move her legs last month after she was bitten by a mysterious spider while she slept.

Phoebe-Lee Matthews, 10, woke up one morning with a large black dot on her lip, which her mother initially thought was a wart — until five days later when the wart had become larger and darker.

“The bite was really black with brown spots in it and it had a white ring around the black spots,” the girl’s mother, Rachel Wilson, told Kennedy News. “It was also red where it was swollen.”

Wilson said that two days after the mark appeared on her daughter’s face, she noticed an odd spider in the house.

“It was like a pinky-orange color with a weird-shaped back,” Wilson said. “It was a really unusual spider and I’d never seen one before. It went out the window.”

The worried mother took her daughter to the doctor where she managed to get some antibiotics and cream to help stop the wart from swelling.

According to the girl’s mother, the wart popped after a few days and started oozing “white gunk” into her child’s mouth before scabbing over, leading the family to believe the ordeal was finally over.

“The fluid was a mix between clear and white pus,” recalled Wilson. “I asked how she was and she was like ‘it’s leaking mom, it’s leaking in my mouth’ and it was all crusty as it was trying to dry.”

The next morning, Matthews woke with a skyrocketing fever and later collapsed as she was coming down the stairs.

“I woke her up and asked her to come downstairs for her antibiotics and she said ‘Mom, I don’t feel well,’” said Wilson. “I felt her head and her arms, body and legs were all boiling hot so I put a thermometer strip on her forehead and it went straight to 104.”

According to Matthews, she could not feel her legs — which sent her mother into a state of shock — and was immediately taken to the hospital.

“I was panicking,” her mom said. “I thought she had sepsis from it and was worried she was paralyzed. I was thinking ‘how long is this going to last for?’”

Doctors and a dermatologist concluded that Matthews had been bitten by a false widow spider, the UK’s most venomous spider.

Matthews managed to fully recover from the ordeal — but is permanently scarred.

“It’s left a hole in her face,” her mom said.

The incident has also left a profound impact on her and her mother, who now has to check every corner before she goes to sleep.

“She’s back to her normal self now but it has scarred her. She’s panicking every night when I put her to bed,” said her mother.

“I’ve got to pull the blinds up, look in the windows and check in between the curtains.”

“I’m constantly checking every room,” she added.

Aftermath of the bite

Wilson said that any parents who notice a black spot on their child should take immediate action.

“I’d tell other parents that if they see any spiders to get them out of the house quickly, don’t even risk it,” exclaimed Wilson.

“If they see a black spot, get them straight to the doctors for antibiotics.”

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