ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A St. Petersburg tattoo artist is recovering after his foot was amputated following a battle with "severe flesh-eating bacteria," according to a GoFundMe fundraiser he created to assist with medical bills.
Adam Singsay, who contracted the bacteria while fishing, called his current health issues "one of the hardest chapters of [his] life."
As of Thursday morning, he's raised more than $5,000 of his $6,000 goal on GoFundMe.
Florida recorded the state's third death of the year from Vibrio vulnificus, the rare so-called "flesh-eating bacteria" in August, according to state health department data.
Since Jan. 1, 20 cases have been reported across Florida, as of Aug. 29, the most recent date the state's Reportable Diseases Frequency Report has been updated.
Singsay wrote that he had "more and more trouble walking" over several weeks before going to the hospital, where he "learned [the] devastating news" that he had a flesh-eating bacteria infection.
"By the time doctors discovered how much damage had been done to the tissue and bone, they had to amputate my left foot to stop the infection from spreading further," he wrote on his GoFundMe page. "That moment changed everything. I've been overwhelmed, scared, and heartbroken as I try to process what happened and what life will look like moving forward."
After his amputation, Singsay is "focused on healing and adjusting to this new reality, but the financial strain has been heavy," he wrote. "I'm currently unemployed, and tattooing was not only my job, but something I truly loved."
Funds raised will help him cover medical bills, surgery expenses, prosthetic costs and living expenses as he recovers.
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