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Brittany Williams, a 23 year old mom from Dallas, Texas in the United States was participating in a mud run event earlier this month when she was exposed to a flesh-eating disease that caused her to go blind in one eye within 24 hours.
Expecting nothing more than a fun day mucking about with her fiancé, Rob, Brittany was surprised when she started experiencing severe pain and vision loss in her left eye. Speaking to CBS DFW, Brittany explained that at first she didn't think it was anything serious, assuming that some dirt may have got trapped in her eye. When she opened her eye "the whole room was white" and she knew something was seriously wrong.
Brittany was taken to the emergency room and examined later that evening. Doctors suspected a chemical burn, explaining that she had cuts and abrasions to the cornea of her left eye and explained that her vision may never return.
The following day, her condition had worsened and she was admitted to hospital. Doctors realised that her pain was not due to a chemical burn but rather a flesh-eating disease that could have entered her system through an abrasion to the cornea.
Brittany lying in bed after being admitted to hospital (courtesy of Britanny's Go Fund Me account)
Read: Symptoms of an eye injury
Brittany does not currently have health insurance and works two jobs to keep up with bills is battling to keep up with the mounting hospital costs, ABC 13 explains. Her fiancé, Rob, has set up a Go Fund Me account for her to raise the $50 000 (Over R600 000) needed to pay for her treatment and has been posting regular updates on Brittany's condition.
In an initial post, Rob explained that doctors weren't sure how to treat Brittany's condition and were administering a number of different eye drops to assess which is most effective. A few days later, Rob indicated that Brittany was scheduled for a tissue biopsy when they were asked to leave the facility as they could not afford the procedure and did not have health insurance.
Rob has since found a specialist to treat Brittany and explains that the doctor is currently investigating whether the disease was caused by a fungus or a bacteria:
Read: Common eye injuries
Brittany remains blind in her left eye. Her doctor cannot say for sure whether or not she will regain her vision. To date, Rob has managed to raise $16 037 (just over R194 000) through the Go Fund Me account and is grateful for everyone who has spread Brittany's story and donated money for her treatment.
Watch the CBS DFW coverage of Brittany's story here:
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