'Just thankful to be here': Alabama woman hospitalized over rare flesh-eating bacteria

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — A fun Labor Day on the intracoastal waters of Orange Beach ended with an Alabama woman fighting a rare, flesh-eating bacteria.

"I never thought it could happen to me," Summerlin Skipworth said.

"We took the boat out, beautiful day, I was with my best friends. I mean, it was a great day. I couldn't ask for a better boat day," she added.

The boat day quickly turned into a nightmare.

"I fell off on the border where the rocks are on the water and hurt my feet really bad -- both of them. I tried to stand back up, but I couldn't," Skipworth said. "But I just, it felt like it was broken."

The next day, Skipworth went to work, but a coworker noticed something wasn't right.

"She's like, 'No, it looks infected. You need to go get it checked out,' So, I'm like, okay, well, it is throbbing pain at this point," she told WKRG.

Skipworth went to urgent care, where doctors confirmed her foot wasn't broken, but noticed an infection spreading up her foot. They prescribed antibiotics and advised her to monitor the redness, but that night, her condition became worse.

"It was a throbbing pain," Skipworth said. "It felt like somebody poured gasoline on my foot and lit it on fire."

The pain sent her to the emergency room at Thomas Hospital, where doctors rushed her into emergency surgery. Lab results confirmed the cause -- a flesh-eating bacterium known as vibrio.

"I cried. It was a surreal moment for me because I knew how serious this was," Skipworth said.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, Skipworth is the third person in the state's Southwestern District to contract vibrio this year. There have been 30 cases statewide. 

Doctors from Thomas Hospital explained that the bacteria can enter the body through even a small cut when it's exposed to still, warm coastal waters.

In less than a week, Skipworth was released from the hospital and sent home with a central line for antibiotics. Doctors at Thomas Hospital told her that catching the infection early made all the difference.

"Within the first 24 hours, get some type of antibiotics, just trust your body, don't wait," Skipworth said. "It still is rough getting up every morning because it's a new routine. Simple tasks like going into the grocery store and stuff wear me out."

"I'm just thankful to be here, thankful to be able to talk about it, walk my dog, be outside, touch grass," she added.