Grandma of 8 Thought ‘Bad Back’ Was from Working a Long Shift. It Was Actually a Flesh-Eating Infection That Killed Her

“We were totally blindsided. It all felt so surreal, it felt like a living nightmare,” Scarlett Simpson said of her late mom, Sharon Alexander

NEED TO KNOW

• Sharon Alexander was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis after initially thinking she just had a sore back from work
• The rare flesh-eating infection progressed rapidly, leading to her death just days after being hospitalized
• Her daughter, Scarlett Simpson, is raising awareness of the disease through fundraising and a 50-mile hike

When Sharon Alexander returned home from her job as a pastry chef on Feb. 13, she felt fatigued from a “bad back” and hoped it would go away.

However, after telling family members that she was going to "take it easy," she noticed two days later that her pain was worsening, according to Kennedy News and Media.

"She said to my dad on the Saturday that she was going to have a day taking it easy before work on the Sunday," Sharon's daughter, Scarlett Simpson, explained. "Mom didn't think it was anything untoward, she just thought she had a sore back."

"On the Sunday, she felt like the pain was getting worse, so my dad phoned an ambulance," she added.

While at the hospital, Sharon, 72, was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis. The rare bacterial infection is a flesh-eating disease, as it can spread rapidly and be fatal. Early symptoms resemble the flu, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

"They told us mom was really, really sick and she'd be in hospital for months and months," Scarlett, 36, said.

Doctors immediately went to remove the dead flesh from her right thigh and placed Sharon on a ventilator.

"We were told she'd need her leg amputated and, best-case scenario, she'd need 24-hour nursing. I don't think she'd have much quality of life," Scarlett recalled.

The following day, they were told that Sharon's infection had spread throughout her body and doctors viewed it as a "worst nightmare" since it "already caused so much damage."

"It all happened so quickly. There were a lot of 'ifs.' She went from working on Friday to being in a coma on a ventilator [days later]," Scarlett said.

Scarlett and the rest of Sharon's family were then grieving after Sharon died due to the infection on Feb. 16. They are still unsure what caused the necrotizing fasciitis diagnosis, but she claimed that some doctors believed it was caused by an ingrown hair.

"They told us they couldn't find the source of it," Scarlett said. "They told one of our relatives that it could've been an ingrown hair on her back."

She continued, "I think that's what they suspected. My dad said she didn't have any cuts or scrapes so it's very strange."

Scarlett felt "really angry" as they never thought "something like that is going to happen" and the family didn't get any "time" or "warning."

"We were totally blindsided," she said. "It all felt so surreal, it felt like a living nightmare."

Scarlett, who works as a nurse, hopes to raise awareness of necrotizing fasciitis with the goal of helping others. She has since launched a GoFundMe that benefits the Lee Spark Necrotizing Fasciitis (NF) Foundation.

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She also embarked on a 50-mile hike on May 31, which is Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day, as she wanted to honor her mother and raise money for the charity.

"It's extremely hard because it's so rare. Mom was complaining of a sore back but that's not always a warning sign, it varies," Scarlett said. "You need to act quickly. If you suspect something is wrong, don't hesitate. It's life-threatening."

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