Dad was left unrecognizable after losing his lips and four limbs to flesh-eating bacteria – This is what he looks like today

The life story of Alex Lewis is like no other. This man refused to give up on his life no matter what it took, and today, he’s thriving with the help of his loving wife Lucy Townsend, and their son.

Alex and Lucy always knew they were meant for each other. When they married and welcomed their son Sam into their life, they felt like the happiest couple on Earth. But then in 2013, around the time Sam turned two, this family’s life took a different turn.

Both Alex and Sam caught the flu, or at least they believed so. However, as the boy got better in a short period of time, Alex wasn’t feeling fine even days after he experienced the flu-like symptoms.

“Because we owned and lived in a pub and came into contact with lots of different people, I assumed it was a seasonal cold and thought it started off as man flu,” Alex told Metro.

Instead of improving, his condition worsened and he became feverish and noticed blood in his urine.
As he could feel something was very wrong, he went to the hospital where doctors told him he contracted a streptococcal infection (type A). Unfortunately, at that point, the infection penetrated deep into the tissue and the organs and caused sepsis. Alex had contracted shock syndrome, septicemia, and necrotizing fascitis – and his body was attacking itself from the inside out.

“I called an ambulance, and within eight minutes, they were there. At the hospital, we went straight into resuscitation, and I was told to say goodbye. His kidneys were shutting down, and they were going to put him on life support,” his wife Lucy told The Guardian.

Doctors’ prognoses were dull. They told the family there was just a three percent chance that Alex would survive as his face and body turned black.

“They were going to turn my life support off, but they wanted to give me one more night to see if I improved, and they wanted to give my family a chance to say goodbye,” Alex told Metro.

“I cannot imagine what Lucy and my mum were going through.

“Having spoken to them since it happened, I think they were more in shock as they couldn’t believe something so incredibly invasive was happening so quickly,” he added.

“I don’t remember being in excruciating pain at this point, but my family remembers seeing me in absolute agony.”

It was determined that a flesh-eating bacteria was poisoning his body so doctors had to amputate his left arm up to the elbow. Sadly, as months passed by, Alex lost all of his limbs, and doctors were also forced to cut parts of his face in order to save his life.

“I can remember seeing my legs in hospital and how they were getting blacker and blacker,” Alex told The Guardian. “The blackness was creeping up towards my waist. I don’t remember seeing my left arm in that condition, but I can remember my legs vividly.”

As Alex lost his lips, plastic surgeon Alexandra Crick took skin from his shoulder in an attempt to fix his mouth.
“It would take me about an hour to eat a sandwich at night, and that was with the help of the nurse,” he told the Daily Mail.

“The last available skin for surgery was on my shoulder,” he explained. “So they replaced the temporary flap with that. All my other skin had to be used for grafts or was scarred.”

“Having my bottom and top lip done at the same time like this was a world first. It’s one piece of skin, and it was like if you imagine placing a bag in your mouth and then sewing around the edges. After the original operation, I had to have them every three or four months.”

Looking at his father, and how different he was, Sam was afraid to approach closer to him, but Lucy found a way to explain to him why his dad looked like that, which wasn’t easy as Sam was just two years old at the time.

After spending months at the hospital Alex could finally go home. The good thing was that doctors managed to save the elbow of his right arm which allowed him to have a prosthetic and be able to use his arm. Eventually, he could speak again as his lip surgery was a huge success.

“That one elbow is his whole independence,” Lucy said.

“I had to relearn everything,” Alex added. “From learning to eat, drink, put my clothes on, to learn to use a prosthesis, and to self propel a manual wheelchair.”

Today, Alex is involved in a number of tech projects which help ease the lives of disabled people. Among the rest, he has tested solar-powered, battery-assisted four-wheeled handles which have been designed by masters students at Southampton University.

Despite his condition, he’s living a quality life and is doing a lot of things, such as kayaking and climbing. In 2019, he climbed one of Africa’s tallest mountains using a specially adapted buggy.

“Since becoming an amputee, I’ve been fortunate enough to try out a number of training methods to keep my fitness up, working with physios and visiting the Help for Heroes training facilities,” he shared with Sports Management.

“I’ve had first-rate guidance, but nothing has been as effective as EMS training, especially in such a short space of time.

“It’s amazing how the machine helps me to engage muscles I haven’t felt since I lost my arms and legs,” he added.

“I feel stronger in training, daily life tasks are easier, and I’ve gained greater confidence that I can take on these challenges.”

His Wild Wheelchairs Project, besides helping improve the lives of disabled people, raises money to finance the construction and operation of a wheelchair manufacturing facility in Ethiopia.

Alex is also a motivational speaker who is happy with his life.
“I’ve lived more of a life in the past four years than I did in the previous 33, and it’s made me realize how much I love Lucy and Sam,” he told Metro.

“There was so much I regretted not doing when I had arms and legs, but I am not letting that happen again. I would not change anything, not in a heartbeat.”

Sam also learned to love his dad for who he is and is proud of him.

We truly admire this brave man’s resilience. His story is proof that no matter the curveballs life throws at us, we should always do our best to end up winners.

My Husband Insisted I Get Pregnant the Day after Our Wedding — My Heart Dropped When I Discovered His Real Reason

As a child, my grandmother used to tell me that life can be full of surprises, not all of them pleasant.

“Remember the good times and don’t let the bad ones bring you down, Liz,” she’d say.

I suppose she wanted to prepare me for life’s bitter moments, but little did she know that the worst day of my life would alter my reality forever.

I’ll never forget the moment I discovered what my husband, Jake, was scheming behind my back. We met at my workplace and quickly became close friends.

We married after just six months of dating because we felt a deep connection—or so I thought.

The day after our lovely wedding, Jake brought up the idea of starting a family right away. “Liz, I think we should try for a baby immediately,” he said, sounding more urgent than I expected.

“Are you sure? We just got married,” I replied, trying to gauge his intentions.

“Yes, absolutely,” he insisted. “There’s no better time than now. It’s the perfect way to start our journey together.”

Despite his enthusiastic words, something about his tone made me uneasy.

Confused yet flattered by his eagerness, I smiled and nodded, unaware of his true motives.

One day, while tidying up the living room, I noticed Jake’s laptop chiming with a notification. He was in the shower, so I glanced at the screen.

I wasn’t snooping, but I couldn’t ignore the message preview that read, “Is she pregnant yet?”

It was from his ex-girlfriend, Claire.

My stomach churned as I read their chilling conversation.

“Remember our agreement, Jake. You need to impregnate her within a year. Otherwise, you won’t secure your inheritance,” Claire wrote.

“Don’t worry, I’m on it. Everything is going according to plan,” Jake replied.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I processed their conversation. They discussed a cold, calculated strategy where Jake would marry me to ensure an heir for a substantial inheritance from a distant relative.

To secure the inheritance, Jake needed to father a child within a year of our wedding. Moreover, he was using me because his ex-girlfriend was infertile.

After securing his share, Jake planned to divorce me and be with Claire.

“How could you?” I whispered.

Shaken by the revelation, I knew I couldn’t confront Jake without solid evidence. So, over the next few days, I acted normally while discreetly gathering proof.

Whenever Jake left his laptop unattended, I copied the emails onto a USB drive. I also started recording his phone conversations with Claire whenever I was out.

One evening, pretending to leave the house, I hid in the garage and recorded Jake confirming their scheme on the phone.

“I just need a bit more time, Claire. Trust me, everything’s on track,” he said urgently.

With the evidence secured, I consulted a lawyer.

“This is serious, Elizabeth. We need to handle this carefully to protect you legally and financially,” he advised.

We planned every step meticulously, preparing for the inevitable confrontation.

Jake’s family hosted an annual gathering a few weeks later, providing the perfect opportunity to reveal his truth.

It was attended by all his distant relatives, including those whose inheritance he coveted.

In the weeks leading up to the event, I pretended to be a loving wife eager to start a family with Jake. But inside, I felt anxious.

During the event, I stood up to make a toast after dinner.

“I want to thank everyone for welcoming me into this wonderful family,” I began. “And to my dear husband, who has taught me so much about trust and love, I have a special surprise!”

As all eyes turned to me, I switched on the projector. The damning emails between Jake and Claire flashed on the screen, followed by recordings of their phone conversations.

The room fell silent. Then, Jake’s grandmother stood up, her face flushed with anger.

“You are a disgrace,” she declared firmly. “You won’t receive a penny of anyone’s wealth!”

Claire, whom I had invited as a friend’s plus one, stood up, her face pale. She slapped Jake across the face.

“I never want to see you again!” she exclaimed before storming out.

As whispers filled the room, I looked at Jake, his face drained of color.

“And one last thing,” I added firmly. “I never intended to get pregnant so soon. I’ve been on birth control since learning the truth.”

That evening, Jake’s plan lay in ruins, leaving him with nothing. His deception also invalidated our prenup.

Meanwhile, I walked away with my integrity intact and a bright future ahead of me.

What would you have done?

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