Father Of 6 Dies From Flesh-Eating Bacteria After He Went Crabbing With His Family, Though He "Never Got In The Water"

Jul 23, 2019

No father on the planet wants to miss his kids growing up. That's why most dads exercise caution and carefulness to ensure that they'll always be there for their children. Gary Evans was a wonderful father who was devoted to his six kids, frequently taking them on family excursions, like crabbing on the Gulf of Mexico.

Shockingly, Evans tragically passed away after a crabbing trip on the Fourth of July.

Evans was diagnosed with a flesh-eating bacteria known as necrotizing fasciitis, which has been in the news a lot lately as vacationers contract this life-threatening illness after seemingly innocent swims in lakes and rivers. To make the situation even scarier, Evans never actually swam in the water, only getting lightly splashed with a few droplets here and there as he raised and lowered his crab traps in and out of the water.

Evans began showing symptoms less than 24 hours after the crabbing excursion. He was experiencing the telltale symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis, including a high temperature, soreness, blisters and the inability to walk.

The family rushed Evans to the ICU, where doctors administered antibiotics. Sadly, the antibiotics failed to yield results and doctors rushed Evans into surgery, hoping they could physically eradicate the affected areas and prevent the further spread of bacteria.

Tragically, the surgery was unsuccessful. Evans' wife, Debbie, was given the most heartbreaking news a spouse could ever receive, which was that her husband had only 76 hours left to live.

“They did everything they could do," Debbie said according to People Magazin. "He was [very] sick and it ended up beating him. It spread into his liver, his kidneys and he was on a respirator. It also got into his [blood] and started collapsing his veins.”

There has been a slew of stories about people contracting this horrifying disease, mostly within the southeastern region of the United States. An Alabama man is currently fighting for his life due to the same virus and a Californian father of two has also passed away from this disease.

"This bacteria is a lot worse than people really think it is," Debbie said according to People Magazin, warning the public to understand that the virus spreads like wildfire and cannot be easily contained.

We advise anyone to exercise extreme caution when it comes to swimming in open bodies of water this summer, especially in the affected regions. Show this story to as many people as possible to spread awareness and prevent more tragic deaths from this terrifying bacteria.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!