GWINETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A Georgia mother who contracted a flesh-eating bacteria now faces the risk of losing her hands and feet.
David Martinez, a Gwinnett County police officer, could barely hold back his emotion as he described what his wife Cindy has suffered over the past two weeks. Martinez said the bacteria forced doctors surgically removed dead muscle and tissue from his wife, who remains hospitalized at Gwinnett County Medical Center.
Martinez had to take a leave of absence from the police department as his wife fights for her life.
David and Cindy Martinez
"We have two children together. Our son is 5; our daughter is 2 years old,” Martinez said. “We've been married for 13 years."
The couple met in the Marines when they were in their twenties. Now that they have a family, Martinez is terrified of losing his wife.
Doctors said the flesh-eating bacteria called "necrotizing fascitis" comes from some kind of open wound.
However, Martinez said doctors have not determined how his wife came in contact with the bacteria. While it is unclear where she picked up the bug, Martiez said his first clue that something was wrong was when his wife said she had a minor pain in her shoulder.
“That seems to be the mystery at this point, we don't know,” Martinez said. “She didn't have any injury, and initially at home when she was feeling the pain, I looked at where the pain was at, I didn't notice anything. That’s what's troubling -- I don't know."
