A dad-to-be who felt a "sharp prick" while out walking his two dogs ended up in a coma fighting for his life hours later.
Steve Overton thought he may have been bitten by a spider but he was being attacked by a flesh-eating bug that that kills tissue, muscles and organs underneath the skin.
Even with treatment, it's estimated that one or two in every five victims die.
Withing hours of walking his pets he was in in excruciating pain, unable to walk and needed to be rushed to A&E.
The 67-year-old from Rhoose, near Barry, ended up being placed into an induced coma as medics battled to save him, Wales Online reports.
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Steve said: "I can't believe how quickly I went from feeling very unwell to nearly dying.
"I firmly believe that I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the hard work, dedication and expertise of the team who looked after me."
A keen lover of sea swimming, cycling and dog walking, Steve said he never thought one of his favourite hobbies would end up nearly killing him.
"Two days before I was taken ill I had cycled to the sea and gone for a swim. I felt on top of the world," he recalled.
"My partner Lisa was due to have a baby in the coming weeks so we were focusing on our new arrival.
"On that morning, I got up and walked my two collie dogs as I did every day. It was a cloudy day and I walked the dogs through a long-grassed field down to the sea.
"I was wearing long shorts on the walk and I remember feeling a sharp prick on the lower part of my leg while walking through the grass.
"For a split second I thought I had been bitten by a spider, but I was always getting scratched while out and about by trees or brambles so I ignored it."
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As Steve walked home he said his knee started hurting as if he had twisted it.
"I put it down to me having walked too much," he said.
"By the time I got home the pain was getting worse. I rested a while but the pain wasn't getting any easier. In fact I started to feel very unwell.
"I could literally feel the strength draining from me to the point where I couldn't hold the yogurt pot that I was eating.
Three hours later Steve was in so much pain he had to go to A&E.
He said: "By the time my daughter Jade and I got to the A&E department at Princess of Wales Hospital I couldn't walk.
"Jade got me a wheelchair to push me from the car into the hospital."
Steve was seen by a nurse at Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, who instantly put him on painkillers and antibiotics.
He said he doesn't remember much after that.
While in A&E Steve was assessed by trauma and orthopaedic consultant, Mr Rahul Kotwal.
Mr Kotwal recalled Steve had a red hot swollen knee and showed signs of cellulitis with slight bruising further up his thigh.
The experienced doctor decided to keep him "nil by mouth" and monitor him every hour as he was extremely concerned about his symptoms.
Mr Kotwal said Steve showed signs of improvement 24 hours later and felt much better in himself.
His temperature had gone down and the knee "wasn't as angry" but had developed blisters on the thigh overnight.
Mr Kotwal added: "Even though Steve felt much better the blisters concerned me. I asked my colleague Mr Deglurkar to take a look at Steve for a second opinion.
"We agreed that we needed to keep a close eye on Steve and monitor him regularly. A few hours later, even though Steve said he was feeling better, the cellulitis had spread and he was starting to get confused.
"We carried out further tests and I sought a third opinion from my colleague Mr Sherring. It was then decided to take Steve to theatre.
"This isn't something you do unless absolutely necessary, but it's the only way of identifying the infection that we thought could potentially be necrotising fasciitis.
"Our fears were confirmed, Steve had necrotising fasciitis – or more commonly known as 'the flesh eating bug' – and he was placed in an induced coma as he would have to go to theatre every day for the next few days to be operated on.
"After each theatre visit, Steve was transferred back to ITU to rest and recover. Steve had this procedure for four days, nearly losing him on the third day as he went into cardiac arrest."
After having just one day rest in between his procedures, Steve needed to go back to theatre on the sixth day of his coma whc is when he finally turned a corner.
Mr Kotwal continued: "This is only the second case I have seen in my career and the procedure to identify this infection is very invasive so I was very grateful to my colleagues for their support during this time.
"We had theatres on standby in case we needed to take Steve back there quickly and we monitored him on the hour. He is a very lucky man."
Necrotising fasciitis is a rare, but serious bacterial infection that affects the tissue beneath the skin and surrounding muscles and organs.
It can start from a relatively minor injury, such as a small cut or bite, but can be life-threatening if it's not recognised and treated early on.
Steve woke from his coma on the sixth day where Mr Kotwal told him he had almost lost his leg – and then his life.
He had also become a dad as his partner had give birth to a baby girl named Rosie.
Steve is unaware if he picked up the bug while swimming or walking his dogs.
He said: "I remember having the most horrific nightmares while in a coma. I can't remember the detail just that they were very frightening. My partner told me what had happened to me. I still can't believe it.
"I can’t praise Mr Kotwal and his team enough for the care and dedication they showed me."
When Steve awoke he was introduced to Rosie.
"I was elated and overjoyed to meet her. My partner Lisa and daughter Jade have been a tower of strength to me," added Steve, whose weight dropped from 12st to 9st while he was ill.
"I am looking forward to the summer where I can go cycling and swimming in the sea again, although I may invest in a wet suit this time."
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