Flesh-eating disease ‘nearly killed’ dad and left him with ‘18% lung capacity’
A “dynamic and brave” dad was left fighting for his life after a flesh-eating disease “nearly killed” him and left him with just an “18% lung capacity”.
Matthew Stancer, 51, had been taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis after “going black and blue” and “swelling up”, with a fundraiser now hoping to raise the cash needed for advanced treatment.
An immediate surgery was undertaken on the 51-year-old, who risked “being dead in 24-hours” had he not been operated on after doctors found the life-threatening necrotising fasciitis infection, TeessideLive reported.
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Now, his daughter Eve, 17, is raising funds for a trip to the United States that will give her father a round of cutting-edge cell treatment that the family “know” will work.
(Image: Eve Stancer)
Speaking to TeessideLive, Eve said: “It can happen to anyone, it’s not a contagious thing, it just happens. Nobody actually knew what was going on.
“When he was in hospital, none of the nurses knew what was happening, because he was swelling up and going black and blue. He was unrecognisable. There was a new doctor in the ward that day and the nurse asked the doctor to take a look.
“The doctor turned around and said we need to get him into surgery now or he is going to be dead in 24 hours. It was a scary time for him.”
Issues with Matthew began when Eve was just seven and added that her dad looked “unrecognisable” after their uncle told her at the time that her dad had been taken to hospital.
(Image: Eve Stancer)
An 18-hour procedure saw Matthew nearly lose both legs was carried out, with the dad waking up to find himself on a ventilator that “completely damaged his lungs”.
Eve added: “If he doesn’t get this treatment, he has got a year to live. It is difficult to do anything. He went for a two-week trial last year and that cost him £30,000. He spent his whole life savings on it.”
Matthew is in need of “three months” of treatment, but Eve, writing on the fundraiser page, added: “He was able to go for a two week treatment stay earlier in the year and the results were really positive.
“No one in the UK has had this treatment but we know it works. We’ve seen it work and my dad has felt it work.”
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