There are many annoyances in life - a loud car alarm that never seems to stop, the way cut onions make your eyes tear, and of course, itchy bug bites. Fortunately, all those irritations are temporary, but one woman learned that those bug bites can actually come back some time later and, well, bite you.
Back in 2009, Jorja Austin was gardening when she got a few bug bites on her leg. Unlike other ones though, these tiny nuisances never healed. Jorja thinks it is because of an iron deficiency, but either way, they developed into a rare condition called pyoderma gangrenosum, which caused sores. It took two years for her to get a diagnosis on what was going on, and by then the issue migrated to her other leg, which left her unable to work.
Unfortunately, the problems have continued over the past 13 years and in May, they led Jorja to be hospitalized in critical condition with sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection. Things were so bad she was put into a coma after not being able to breathe due to the sepsis. She told The Mirror, "My family were told to say their goodbyes."
The only treatment was for her legs to be amputated, which turned things around for Jorja. She's learned to walk again and was able to enjoy Christmas for the first time in over a dozen years. She stated, "I've had no life and been in agony for 13 years. I'm so happy and over the moon after being so frustrated for so long."
Jorja wants others to learn from her experience and get help if they have any skin condition since it could get a lot worse if left untreated. She explained, "I didn't get the right help at the right time. You have to keep going back, again and again, to fight for the right treatment, or you'll end up nearly dead like me. Don't leave it to get as bad as I did."