NJ Man With Flesh-Eating Bacteria Defies Docs, Declines Hospice

A man fighting for his life as he deals with flesh-eating bacteria contracted from New Jersey waters won't go to hospice despite his increasingly desperate condition, his family told Patch.

His daughter, Dilena Perez-Dilan told Patch that Angel Perez, 60, of Millville, will not go to hospice – despite earlier reports saying that he will – because "he wants to fight."

"He wants to continue," she said. "He feels strong, although doctors tell him different. He has faith. I worry that he will continue to suffer but I have to allow him his desires."

Perez-Dilan said she told her father: "Daddy, don't leave me yet." He then nodded "yes."

Perez never wanted to go to hospice, his daughter said. "We did not want to end dialysis and antibiotics," she said. "Hospice will do that. My father doesn’t want to shorten his life.

"He said he wants to fight."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the family's expenses.

Perez was recently crabbing in the waters off Matts Landing in the Maurice River when he began to have severe pain and swelling in his right leg, according to Perez-Dilan. Soon after, he was diagnosed with the disease.

Perez also has been barely able to speak, and he eventually will lose his fingers and some toes, Perez-Dilan said.

"We are going to take him to a long-term care facility so he has some treatments because he does not want to give up and we have to be mindful of the extremities, she said.

Perez has Vibrio necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria that county officials acknowledge could be found in the same waters. He is currently in the intensive care unit at Cooper University Hospital where he could eventually have all of his limbs amputated, Perez-Dilan said.

Since contracting the infection on July 2, it has spread to his blood, and his forearms are black. He has blisters and scarring, according to Perez-Dilan. Right now, there appears to be no way to stop the disease's damaging effects.

His daughter said he's been able to joke at times, but he's gotten worse and he has symptoms of delirium. He's not sleeping, he’s mumbling to himself and his speech is nearly indistinguishable.

"It’s been very rough on myself and stepmom," she said. "I’m here everyday but I have so many things to care for – like my son, my house, my job, and I don’t know what to do. Just a chaotic time for us all. Really starting to feel overwhelmed and I don’t feel right leaving his side."

Read more: Man Got Flesh-Eating Bacteria In NJ Waters, Family Says

Cumberland County officials, meanwhile, have said they are aware of Perez's case and say that such bacteria can live in the water during the summer.

Noah Hetzell, assistant health officer at the Cumberland County Health Department, told Patch the vibrio bacteria is found naturally in brackish waters but it flourishes during the summer months. When the waters get warmer, vibrio bacteria can be found in much higher concentrations, he told Patch.

The Matts Landing area is not a regulated swimming location, he said. This means that the health department does not have the ability to force its closure.

"We can only recommend that residents avoid entering brackish waters, especially if they have are immunocompromised or have open wounds or sores on their body," he said.

Photo courtesy of Dilena Perez-Dilan