A trip to the tropics landed an Ipswich man in hospital for three months, fighting a dangerous flesh eating bug that nearly cost him his leg and his life.

Michael Winton and his wife had set sail on a cruise to Papua New Guinea in February this year, before the outbreak of coronavirus would put the globe into lockdown.

It was on his return home that Mr Winton spotted what he thought was an infected mosquito bite.

He would soon find out that he had contracted the flesh eating bug called Necrotizing Fascotis.

"It must have been eating away at my leg unbeknown to me," he said.

"When I got into Ipswich, the doctor there recognised what it was … an emergency."

The 72-year-old said he had septic shock and spent the five days sedated in ICU.

"I had to sign this consent form that they would remove my leg if necessary, to save my life."

After three weeks, he was moved to the plastics unit at the PA hospital where he spent 58 days and underwent further surgery.

The hospital staff were successful in saving Mr Winton's leg and were able to reconstruct it using different muscles and tissue from other parts of Mr Winton's body.

Mr Winton then returned to Ipswich to carry out his rehab at the Ipswich Hospital.

He said it was the hospital staff that helped him through some of his darkest days.

"In the rehab ward, they are absolutely brilliant," Mr Winton said while holding back tears.

"Everyone from the consultants to the cleaners that came around, everyone had time to talk to you and if you were feeling down, they would help you."

He can now walk with the assistance of a crutch and can even make his way up the stairs.

Before the cruise, Mr Winton was still working as a teacher-aide at Redbank Plains State High and would often walk up to five kilometres a day. He has a long road to recovery, but he is now finally back at home.

"Just plain unlucky I guess to get bitten by that mossie." 

Published with permission from the Queensland Times.