Jon McCoy Undergoes 2nd Surgery After Bug Bite Triggers Flesh-Eating Infection

1 articles · Updated · East Idaho News · Aug 19

Jon McCoy is recovering in the ICU Burn and Wound Unit at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center after a second surgery Monday removed more infected tissue and muscle from his leg.
An itchy bug bite appears to have started the ordeal: scratching broke the skin, his wife said, and bacteria entered, turning what was first diagnosed as cellulitis into a flesh-eating infection.
Three days after initial treatment at Madison Memorial Hospital, McCoy’s leg worsened at home—blistering, turning black and losing feeling—before doctors in Idaho Falls identified the more severe infection on Aug. 12.
Three deep wounds—one about softball-sized and two about baseball-sized—remain after surgery, and McCoy has also been placed on a ventilator and survived a Code Blue triggered by dangerously low oxygen.
Months of recovery are expected as he relearns basic mobility and regrows damaged tissue, while his wife juggles daily two-hour drives, care for their two daughters and community fundraising support.