He ended up in a medically induced coma.
A man identified only as Steven Spinale is making a remarkable recovery after falling into a coma due to sepsis, a life-threatening condition triggered by infected, ingrown hair, according to New York Post.
According to TikTok videos posted by his sister, Michelle, Steven developed sepsis in late 2022 after attempting to remove the ingrown hair from his groin area. Sepsis is a severe reaction of the body’s immune system to an infection and can lead to organ failure and death if left untreated, as per the news outlet.
Silent Killer Takes Hold
Sepsis is a serious medical emergency often referred to as the “silent killer” because it can be difficult to diagnose. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 1.7 million Americans develop sepsis each year, with nearly 270,000 deaths annually.
In Steven’s case, the infection caused by the ingrown hair escalated into septic shock, leading to blood clots, pneumonia, organ failure, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The infection even reached his heart, causing significant damage.
“All [the doctors] could figure out was that he was bleeding internally from somewhere. Little did we know that would be the smallest worry,” his sister Michelle wrote on a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $8,000 for his care.
“He declined fast until he crashed and was put on life support,” she added.
“He caught a rare bacteria that was ravaging [through] his body and shutting down all his organs. He is severely septic and in shock.”
Doctors battled for survival
Due to the critical nature of his condition, Steven was placed in a medically induced coma to allow his body to heal. Doctors initially declared him brain dead and gave him a very low chance of survival.
However, after a month of intensive treatments and procedures, Steven defied the odds. He emerged from the coma with no brain damage and has since made a near-full recovery.