He survived the cannibalism.Now he’s stranded at St. John’s Hospital, waiting to go home

tomtidgewellNovember 8, 2022

Jody Short has been stuck at Miller Center in St. John’s for the past three months, unable to return home until she raises enough money to build a wheelchair ramp and widen the doorway to her Conception Bay South home. can not. (Submitted by Elizabeth Hogan)

Jodie Short was ankle-deep in snow with a shovel in her hand when a burning sensation ran through her left foot in February.

“I almost passed out in pain,” Short said quietly from the recreation room at the Miller Center in St. John’s recently, recalling being stranded for three months.

Short was eventually hospitalized and rushed to the operating room to repair an aortic dissection — a laceration of his main artery and a nightmare that ultimately left him unable to walk or go home. It was the beginning of a series of medical woes.

He said he had about a 40% chance of surviving that operation, prompting his family, and even the surgeon, to pray and say goodbye before he went under the knife.

When he awoke from his coma a week later, Short faced yet another hurdle. It was an unexpected paralysis. In her mid-40s, she suddenly found herself bedridden, unable to eat or brush her teeth, and in constant pain.

A few weeks later, Short’s mother discovered a pressure ulcer on his left buttock, and the blood vessels were bright and red, as if “something was spreading from this area,” Short said.

The next day he underwent emergency surgery again. This time it was necrotizing fasciitis. It is more commonly known as carnivorous disease.

Woman sitting by a hospital bed with her eyes closed and putting her hand on a man's arm — Short’s sister prays by her bed to get rid of the infection after surgery. (Submitted by Elizabeth Hogan)

“Very few people live with this kind of disease,” he said. “It was like everything was going wrong. I hadn’t had a chance to deal with the paralysis yet.

Doctors began talking about amputating his legs and removing part of his pelvis to prevent bacteria from entering his body lethally. I declined.

“They will come in and debride whatever they can to save my life,” Short said, referring to the removal of damaged tissue. He recalled that he dug a tunnel in his back before essentially giving up.

The disease spread too quickly.

man lying on oxygen cylinder — Short spent several months in a hyperbaric chamber to prevent the infection from returning. (Submitted by Elizabeth Hogan)

Doctors gave Short a life expectancy of 48 hours. “I started calling. I used my phone to call all his friends… [to] Express how much you appreciate the friendship. My life was dying, wasn’t it? ”

The next morning, Short woke up feeling strangely better.

“I felt refreshed and ready to go,” he said. “It was like a miracle.”

Short woke up the next day and the day after that and noticeably improved. His doctor was stunned, he says. A CAT scan showed that the infection had simply disappeared.

Over the next six months, Short underwent high pressure therapy to prevent the bacteria from returning and waited for the wound to heal.

In August, he arrived at Miller Center to learn how to live independently in a wheelchair that he would need for the rest of his life.

he hasn’t left yet

long wait to get home

Lately, he’s been busy working out and spending time with friends, wondering when he’ll be able to return to his home in Conception Bay South.

Short said his application for state disability aid was denied because it was based on last year’s tax returns.

A man in a wheelchair is stretching his legs with a resistance band — Short works on his arm strength and leg flexibility every day at the Miller Center where he lives for the time being. (Malone Mullin/CBC)

He’s been without a job for months and can’t afford to build wheelchair ramps, widen doorways, or renovate kitchens and bathrooms to accommodate new disabilities.

The Department of Health declined to comment on the status of the short, instead pointing to Newfoundland and Labrador Housing (NLHC), which manages the state’s housing remodeling program.

NLHC has not yet responded to requests from CBC News.

“Living vaguely”

A friend of Short’s, Elizabeth Hogan, recalled that Short called her from what was expected to be his deathbed.

“I felt every emotion you could imagine that day,” Hogan said. “Just like her husband said, I cried from the soles of her feet.”

Hogan and another friend, Miles Higgins, are now helping raise money to bring him home.

A man and a woman are standing in the physio room. — Friends Miles Higgins and Elizabeth Hogan help Short raise money to renovate the house. (Malone Mullin/CBC)

Higgins said, pointing to state rules that prevent Short from being eligible for disability benefits until he reports that his income has fallen, Higgins said, “It looks like Jodie is living a bit of a precarious life right now. ” he said.

“At this point, he’s ready to go home.”

Short says he won’t be able to work in the near future because he’s learning how to deal with his pain. I want to build a new life.

“It’s an incredibly overwhelming amount of support,” Short said.

“Without support, I don’t think I would have had the strength to get through it all.”