ORLANDO, Fla. – For Elizabeth Koontz, her house hasn’t really felt like home for the past month.
“It’s not the same,” Koontz said.
Her roommate and best friend since high school, Nigel smith, left home Jan. 7 and hasn’t been back since.
They both had sore throats that day, but Smith started vomiting and could barely get out of bed.
So she took him to the hospital, but she never thought he’d be there this long.
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Doctors diagnosed him with an invasive form of Strep A.
Smith’s health deteriorated and his organs began to fail.
“His kidneys his liver his heart was working at 15%, and then after that, somewhere in the mix, he had a stroke,” Koontz said.
She said at one point, she didn’t think he was going to survive.
“I had to leave the room when he was getting intubated because I was so scared. That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever been through in my life. I thought that I wasn’t gonna see him again,” Koontz said.
According to the CDC, Invasive Group A Strep infections are life-threatening.
This occurs when bacteria have invaded parts of the body where it’s not usually found, like in the blood.
Preliminary data shows infections increased in the fall of 2023, primarily in adults.
Koontz said she has noticed a lot of respiratory illnesses going around this year.
“That’s why we didn’t think much of it because before Christmas, after Thanksgiving, everybody was getting sick,” Koontz said.
Koontz said Smith is a creative through. He draws, paints, and is practicing to become a tattoo artist.
Right now, Smith is working with physical and speech therapists.
Due to his stroke, he has been struggling to speak and walk.
She hopes he can get back to what he loves soon.
Koontz set up this GoFundMe to help Smith cover his medical bills.
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