Brit dismissed vacation crimson mark as a ‘mosquito chunk’ till she wanted 5 hour surgical procedure
Julia Newton-Mercer says an insect bit her leg while she was sunbathing by her hotel on the island of Sardinia
Julia nearly died from her bite(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A Brit was left fearing for her life after she suffered an insect bite suffered on a sunny European retreat. Now the victim has shared the three steps others should take to avoid the same fate.
Julia Newton-Mercer took a trip to the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia, where she says an insect bit her leg while she was sunbathing by her hotel back in 2022. The bite was located on her left ankle and quickly became itchy and inflamed, although the 43-year-old assumed it was just a mosquito bite.
The bite continued to be itchy and painful once she was back in the UK, so Julia went to her GP where she was prescribed antibiotics, reports The Sun.
Medics were left scratching their heads to work out the cause of the bite, which seemed to get worse and worse.
When Julia banged her leg on a chair, it didn’t help things. She said: “A few weeks after that I started to get really bad pains in my legs. The pain just kept getting worse and worse.”
The bite reportedly turned ulcerated, and a large, painful black blister formed around it. Eventually she was rushed to hospital with sepsis, with Julia fearing she could lose both of her legs as a result.
Instead doctors were successful in performing what Julia calls “life-saving” surgery for five and a half hours, although she still had to undergo 10 months of gruelling surgery and even now can only walk without an aid for around 30 seconds at a time.
She has also had to undergo several skin graft surgeries in October 2024 and February 2025, and had leave her job as an embalmer because she can no longer walk independently.
She recalled a surgeon telling her: “Either we can try some surgery this morning or go to the mortuary this afternoon.”
While its not known exactly what caused the bite and the nearly deadly reaction, Julia says a doctor friend of hers reckons that the bite of a violin spider, which can cause the necrosis of the tissue, may have been the culprit.
A doctor friend later suggested the bite may have come from a violin spider, whose venom can cause necrosis of tissue.
Julia, from St Helens, Merseyside, said: “I would never have expected this to happen. I’ve had to grieve for the life I’ve essentially lost.”
“For the rest of my life it’s going to be looking over my shoulder for this condition to come back,” she said. “My legs will forever make small children cry but they’re battle scars.”
Julia says that anyone going to a country with dangerous insects should invest in proper repellent, and cover exposed skin, but perhaps most importantly seek medical attention for bites that do not heal properly.
“I’d advise if you’ve got a bite you’re not happy with keep getting it checked out and keep going back.
If you know there’s going to be creepy crawlies [on holiday] that are going to bite you, cover yourself as much as you can.
“I didn’t know about the spiders so I think I’ve been very unlucky to have taken such a bad turn.”
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