Zachary Harakas is a father-of-three, and was recently hospitalized after being bitten by a spider in the backyard of his Missouri home.
According to Unilad, Harakas was gardening when he was bitten. He thought little of the incident and went about his life as usual. It was only after several days, and some extreme complications at the site of the bite that the victim became concerned.
Along with swelling, Harakas reportedly noticed that his leg had begun to turn green, and was almost rotting. As a result of such alarming changes to the condition of his leg, Harakas was rushed to a nearby hospital. Medics were quickly able to identify that Harakas was suffering from the tissue-killing condition necrotizing-fasciitis, caused by a 'flesh-eating' bacteria.
While insect bites are common causes of necrotizing fasciitis, the diagnosis is still often shocking to those suffering from the condition. According to the Cleveland Clinic, other causes include burns, cuts, scrapes, and puncture wounds.
Spider Bite Results in Missouri Father's Hospitalization
Luckily for Harakas, his leg was treated efficiently and effectively by medical professionals. Doctor Andrew Benedict, who is the surgery program director at St. Luke's - where Harakas was treated, noted that 'time is of the essence' when working with a patient in the condition of Harakas. With this in mind, chunks of dead tissue were removed from the victim's leg, in effort to isolate the infection. Moreover, Harakas spent an entire week in the hospital. During which, the victim underwent several surgeries to rebuild his leg.
Dr. Benedict noted that Harakas was 'extremely sick' upon his arrival to St. Luke's. Likewise, Benedict said there concerns that the bite could have been that of a brown recluse.
According to members of the medical team, Harakas should recover fine in the long run, without any further complications. They continued though, saying that if Harakas had waited even one day longer, he may not have survived.
For Zachary Harakas, the whole ordeal has been a whirlwind. Aside from the health complications caused by the bite, Zachary's business dealings have also become a headache. As an owner of a cleaning company, the extended time away from work has left Harakas in a tough spot.
