A Sydney retail worker has told how a tiny cut he got at work unexpectedly turned into a nightmarish, life-threatening injury.
Yvohn Ray Rosero, an international student from the Philippines, was working at a clothing store in Burwood when the seemingly innocuous accident happened.
“I was just doing my normal opening shift and I was trying to organise some denim pants in front of the store with some discount signage,” Rosero told 9news.com.au.
“I bumped my left index finger on the corner of the metal sign. It bled a little and created a small wound.”
Not thinking much of it, Rosero stopped the bleeding with a tissue, washed his finger and finished off his shift.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Rosero started to feel a little off.
“When I woke up I could feel the stiffness in my left index finger. And then, after I showered, I started to feel shivery,” he said.
Not wanting to let his employer down, Rosero put a fresh bandaid on his finger and went in to work.
A co-worker noticed Rosero did not look well and advised him to get medical attention straight away, so he went to the emergency department at Westmead Hospital.
“After a long wait of almost six hours, I was finally seen — and by that point, the infection had spread all the way to my left elbow,” Rosero said.
“My finger had already turned necrotic. I was admitted right away.”
Doctors told Rosero his infection was spreading alarmingly fast and had turned septic.
Later that same day, Rosero was diagnosed with Necrotising Fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating bacteria.
The rare but aggressive infection spreads quickly and destroys tissue beneath the skin.
Rosero was admitted to the intensive care unit and has since undergone six surgeries in an attempt to get the infection under control.
While doctors had initially been hopeful they could save Rosero’s index finger, it eventually needed to be amputated.
Rosero said the experience was traumatic, but he was thankful for the doctors and nurses who cared for him.
“I never thought that a small, very tiny wound could change my life forever,” he said.
Rosero is now facing a month off work while he recovers and an online fundraiser has been started to help with his medical and living costs.
The international student, who has been living in Australia for three years, said he had learned never to underestimate any open wound, no matter how small.
“I keep telling my friends and my family to always wash a cut or wound, no matter how small. Always make sure that you have an antiseptic cream or wipes,” he said.
