Florida Teen Contracts Rare Condition At The Beach And Now Her Family Is Trying To Warn Others
When booking a beach vacation, the last thing most people think about is something going wrong. After a full shark-less day of play in the ocean, one Indiana family continued on their happy vacation without a care in the world. However, something in the water wasn't ready to bid them farewell, and it plunged one family member into a fight for her life.
Vacation Expectations
When 12-year-old Kylei Parker and her family first set off on their trip to Destin, Florida, they anticipated a vacation full of sun, sand, and relaxation. But when it finally came time to ditch the gloomy Indiana weather for the Florida sunshine, things immediately got off to a bumpy start.
Non-Stop Rain
While Florida is known for its warm weather, it's also known for its rain, which came down nonstop as Kylei and her family landed in the Sunshine State. It rained the next day, and the day after that, leaving a dark cloud – both figuratively and literally – over their vacation.
Ankle-Deep
Finally, the poor weather passed, though the Indiana family didn't find soft sand and gentle waves when they ventured down to the beach. The storms churned up some pretty dangerous waves, and beachgoers were only permitted to enter the water ankle deep.
Unseen Threat
Still, the family wasn't going to let a bit of bad luck ruin their good time, and so they happily made the most of the time at the beach that they had. All the while, however, an unseen threat was lurking in the water... and it decided to make Kylei its next victim.
Sharp Pain
The following morning, Kylei woke up with a nagging pain in her right calf, though her mother Michelle assumed it was just a charlie horse. They wrote it off and went on with their day, believing the pain would eventually subside. Unfortunately, it didn't.
Dark Realization
The next day, the pain intensified to an unimaginable level, preventing Kylei from even standing on her feet. When it reached the point that Michelle had to carry her daughter to get her from place to place, the family realized this was no ordinary charlie horse.
Emergency MRI
Upon returning to Indiana, Michelle brought Kylei to the doctor, who told her to pack a bag and head for the ER. There, she was immediately taken in for an MRI, and after getting the results, they were shocked at what they saw.
Acting Fast
Apparently, Kylei had contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a rare flesh-eating bacteria that likely entered her body through a small scrape on her foot. But there was no time to speculate now: if doctors didn't act fast, Kylei stood a great chance of losing her leg, or worse — her life.
Septic Shock
They started by pumping her body full of fluids to prevent her blood pressure from dropping any further, though within a matter of hours, Kylei began slipping into septic shock. The doctors immediately took several more scans of her leg, which led them to a terrifying discovery.
Emergency Operation
Not only had a large pocket of the infection collected behind her right knee, but it had also begun to spread rapidly throughout her body. If there was any chance of saving Kylei's leg, doctors needed to operate — and they needed to do it now.
Working Around The Clock
Kylei was rushed into emergency surgery, where surgeons worked around the clock to remove as much of the infection as they could before it could continue upwards through her body. Unfortunately, this initial operation just wasn't enough.
Infection-Free
In the days that followed, Kylei underwent two more surgeries, after which the doctors deemed her free of infection. Sick and exhausted, Kylei then spent the next week in the hospital recovering from the ordeal.
Difficult Recovery
With rows of stitches in her leg, a heavy bandage, and an IV in her arm, Kylei was finally allowed to return home. However, the following months would prove to be the most difficult part of her recovery.
Learning To Walk Again
Between the damage done to her leg by the bacteria and the extensive surgeries, Kylei needed months of physical therapy in order to learn how to walk again. For Michelle, however, this was a small price to pay to have her daughter well again.
Road To Recovery
"We are not completely better, but we are on the road to recovery," Michelle wrote on Facebook. "We will have numerous doctors visits, physical therapy and blood work to continue, but all that matters is my girl is ALIVE."
Warning Others
After living through this traumatic experience, Michelle and her family began working to educate others about the threat of the deadly bacteria. With over 100 million tourists traveling to Florida each year, the risk of contracting this kind of infection is higher than ever.
Critical Knowledge
"I wanted to share her story in hopes that it may help save someone else," Michelle continued in her post. "We are sharing because this is so critical and so many people don’t know about this. Once you start experiencing the symptoms, it’s already running rampant in your body."
Easy To Ignore
Indeed, the effects of necrotizing fasciitis are often ignored until it's too late, as was the case for one Tennessee man who happened to be visiting the beaches of Destin right around the same as Kylei and her family. After returning home from his trip, the man noticed a large black sore on his back.
Fatal Bacteria
Believing it to be the product of old age, the man dismissed the sore as well as a series of red bumps that had suddenly appeared on his arms and legs. On July 7th – just 48 hours after his last swim in Florida – the man died, the cause of death being the very same bacteria that nearly cost Kylei her life.
Nefyn Beach
And even as Kylei's family was spreading their warning as aggressively as possible, across the world another ticking time bomb was been lying in wait at a popular tourist beach. Now, the unthinkable has happened, and it has transformed the once idyll Nefyn Beach into something out of a Hollywood movie.
Nature Strikes
In April 2021 onlookers watched in horror as nature took a vicious turn and sent shockwaves through the sleepy community of Nefyn Beach. Though what was behind this catastrophe? And would these people – caught on the sands at the wrong time – live to tell the tale? It’s a story that reveals a terrifying truth about some of the U.K.’s most picturesque coastal towns.
Easter Vacation
Nefyn Beach had been bustling with people just a week before the shocking incident. As families across the U.K. enjoyed their Easter vacations, many of them chose to visit this spot on Wales’ northern coast. Granted, it’s not as well known as some of the country’s other seaside resorts, though it remains a popular destination nonetheless.
Perfect Gathering Spot
Yet Nefyn Beach had grown less busy by April 19, 2021. With children back at school, there were fewer families spread out across the long expanse of golden sand. And while there may have been some surfers or fishermen out in the bay, the general atmosphere was far quieter than it had been the week before.
Quiet Morning
For that, at least, the people of Nefyn Beach can be thankful. Because in the morning – when a dreadful rumble began to echo across the sands – there was only a scattering of people present to witness it. And as a result, a tragedy of potentially horrific proportions was narrowly averted.
Busy Week
“It’s lucky really because last week the beach was busy with it still being Easter half term in England,” one witness told the Daily Post in April 2021. “It was the busiest week we’ve had this year. So if it had happened then people could have been killed.”
"Peaceful" Beach
But what exactly did this witness see? After all, natural disasters are not overly common in Wales – particularly ones frightening enough to send people fleeing for their lives. Might the loud rumble have been caused by an earthquake, perhaps, about to tear the peaceful sands of Nefyn Beach apart?
Tumultuous History
Although the area is not exactly a tectonic hotspot, north Wales has experienced something similar before. Back in 1984, for example, the Llŷn Peninsula where Nefyn Beach is located shook with tremors that clocked 5.4 on the Richter scale. In fact, it was the most powerful earthquake in recorded history to ever strike mainland Britain.
Something's Coming
Or perhaps this part of the Welsh coast was about to be consumed by an incoming tsunami? After all, these terrifying waves are typically caused by earthquakes occurring off shore. Could the rumble heard by beachgoers have been the beginning of just such a disaster? Of course, such incidences are incredibly rare in the U.K – though that fact would probably have provided little reassurance to those present.
Earthquake Sounds
According to reports, it was around 11:00 a.m. when witnesses first heard the terrible sound. One told the Daily Post, “I was just sitting on my wall having a coffee when I heard a rumbling noise.” And another individual living nearby described the terrifying moment in an April 2021 interview with ITV News. Apparently, the noise was “like an earthquake.”
Strange Sight
Yet it wasn’t an earthquake or a tsunami that was about to strike this sleepy Welsh beach. Down on the sands, walker Amanda Stubbs was enjoying a relaxing stroll when she spotted something strange: a cluster of stones tumbling down the side of the cliff. And as Stubbs looked up – phone in hand – she witnessed an astonishing event.
Deadly Speeds
In moments, the slide of stones had picked up alarming speed – turning into a huge torrent of dirt and rocks. It was a landslide: one of the worst to strike the region in recent years. Still filming, Stubbs was forced to flee for her life as the pile of debris began to spread rapidly across the beach. Elsewhere, a dog walker looked on in horror as the cliffside fell away.
Risky Location
“I was here when it happened, I saw it come down, it was spectacular,” the witness told the Daily Post. Meanwhile, above the beach, one resident remained impressively stoic. He said, “I didn’t see it but I definitely heard it… I thought it was this end to begin with but it didn’t really worry me – if it hit this hut I’d be gone! It could happen to anyone along here, that’s mother nature for you.”
130 Feet Of Sand
By the time that the dust had settled, the landslide had reportedly spread across more than 130 feet of sand. Miraculously, though, there were no reports of injuries – thanks in part to the timing of the fall. Speaking to The Sun in April 2021, local Elise Leyshon said, “It is so lucky that no one was on the beach on a Monday morning. Yesterday, it was full of people.”
No Chance
“They would stand no chance if they were caught by that landslide,” Leyshon continued. “It is incredible.” Yet even though the disaster did not claim any lives, property owners were left reeling as their gardens collapsed onto the beach below. Later, witnesses spotted items of furniture poking out of the debris.
Traumatic Experience
Resident Melvyn Jones has owned a property at the top of the cliff since around 2011. And the local told Yahoo! News that he’d been left “devastated” by the landslide. Now, Jones faces an uncertain future in a house that would be impossible to sell, even if he wanted to. But what exactly caused this dramatic landslide to strike Nefyn Beach – and what might the future hold?
Not The First
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that the cliffs surrounding this stretch of coast have collapsed. Back in 2001 a woman was killed when a landslide sent the car that she was traveling in tumbling off a precipice and into the water. According to experts, the Nefyn Beach area is particularly prone to such disasters thanks to its debris-lined slopes, which are often saturated with water.
Burst Pipe
Jones, meanwhile, believes that a burst pipe may have contributed to the landslide. Though whatever caused the devastating incident, the people of Nefyn Beach have struggled to pick up the pieces. With the area closed off to the public, they have been left to speculate on whether or not their own properties might also fall into the abyss.
Not Very Reassuring
“I wouldn’t want to scare anyone,” geologist Ashley Patton told the BBC in April 2021, “but of course, when you see events like this and of this scale, you can’t help but think ‘is that area of the cliff next?’” Yet, he added, “that happens all along that coastline, so there is the potential anywhere could go.” Somehow, we don’t think that the residents of Nefyn Beach will find this particularly reassuring!
A Bizarre Natural Object
Just imagine being at the beach and seeing a really strange object staring up at you from the sand and screaming for your attention. The bizarre item is not that big, but its erratic shape is enough to pique your interest. Similar to the root of a plant, the thing has a number of ends that all spiral off in different directions.
Roots In The Sand
You then pick this object up from the shore, but you quickly realize that it isn’t organic. It feels much more solid than that – almost as if the thing was made of glass. Given that, then, you can quite confidently rule out the possibility that it’s come from a plant.
After The Storm
This object is undeniably different to anything you’ve ever encountered before. What is it, and why has it shown up now? But as you ponder questions such as these, a thought suddenly dawns on you. Is it possible that the strange object’s sudden appearance has something to do with last night’s storm?
Not Uncommon Events
Though you can’t confirm it yet, it turns out that you’re on the right track with this line of thinking. Objects such as this one can, in fact, show up on Earth in the aftermath of intense weather events. And more than that, it turns out that they’re far more common than you’d imagine.
What Exactly Is Going On?
These weird objects are often found underground – completely out of view from all of us here on the surface. If we were so inclined, though, we could probably dig them out of beaches that regularly experience stormy conditions. But what are these things, and what exactly is going on during storms that leads to their creation?
Fulgurites
If you were to undertake a little research, you’d learn that these structures are known as “fulgurites.” As we’ve seen, they can come into being after a particularly nasty storm has taken place. But they’ve also been known to appear in the wake of other powerful events – including meteor strikes.
Found All Across Earth
Fulgurites have been found in all corners of our planet: from the beaches of the U.S. West Coast all the way to the Sahara. A couple of centuries ago, meanwhile, a young scientist from England took note of the structures in his homeland. This person, as it happened, was Charles Darwin.
Possibly Overstated
Darwin wrote that the fulgurites found in England had been huge – measuring up at around 30 foot long. The thing is, there’s a chance that this number was vastly overstated. In modern times, after all, the longest fulgurite ever to be uncovered was a little over half that length.
Florida's 16-Footer
A 16-foot-long fulgurite was uncovered in Florida back in 1996. It was found by a team headed up by Martin A. Uman – a professor from the University of Florida. Though he was confident of finding a fulgurite on that occasion, the vast size of this one definitely caught him by surprise.
Just Start Digging
A couple of years after his discovery Uman spoke to the journal Weatherwise about how common fulgurites really are. He said, “The world is full of them. All you have to do is go to any beach and start digging.” But even so, specimens as large as 16 foot are extremely rare.
Dismissing Darwin
As a matter of fact, Uman’s fulgurite was noted by Guinness World Records for its size. That’s to say, no larger specimen has ever been discovered. We have to dismiss the 30-footer mentioned by Darwin, after all, because there’s no solid evidence that it ever actually existed.
Delicate Extraction
Apparently, managing to excavate the specimen from Florida was a feat in itself. That’s because fulgurites are delicate structures, and you have to be really careful when you’re pulling them from the earth. Uman and his team were more than aware of this, so they brought in a paleontologist to help them out.
Makes Sense
Though fulgurites can appear anywhere, it shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise that the biggest one came from Florida. After all, we’ve already noted that the structures tend to materialize in the wake of intense weather events. And the Sunshine State, of all places, is known for the frequency of its storms.
Storm Central
A huge number of thunderstorms are recorded each and every year all over Florida. Though the majority of them tend to hit the Everglades, Lakeland and all the areas in between the two. Generally speaking, this stretch of land will see anywhere from 100 to 130 storms every year, according to Weather Underground.
Multiple Storms A Day
The Florida cities of Fort Myers and Tampa also experience plenty of thunderstorms each year. On average, the website notes that they are hit by 92 and 78 respectively. Some places have even be known to experience several different storms during the same day. Over in Cape Canaveral, for example, meteorologists once noted six individual storms throughout the same 24-hour period.
Starting In Florida
Given the extreme weather events that are so common to Florida, then, it’s no wonder that Uman and his team found the record-breaking fulgurite there. After all, the conditions of the state mean that it’s probably among the top places to dig these structures up. So if you fancied searching for them, Florida would be a good place to start.
Mystical Roots
Fulgurites are stunning objects, so for that reason alone they can be tantalizing discoveries. But they’re also fascinating from a scientific perspective, as we still have lots to learn about them. We know that humans have been aware of these objects for a long time now. Though the explanations for them were once a little more mystical.
Sent Down By Zeus
The ancient Greeks worshipped the deity known as Zeus – a figure who they believed controlled the weather. In many depictions of the god, Zeus holds projectiles that he would toss down to Earth when he was angry. His missiles would then land in the midst of a storm.
Enduring Beliefs
Long after ancient Greek civilization had passed, the belief that objects fell from the sky during storms remained. Some people thought that the damage inflicted by a thunderstorm was actually caused by these things smashing into the ground. And it’s not too difficult to see why such a theory would have come to be accepted.
Sent From The Gods Themselves
After certain storms, people would sometimes find strange objects planted in the Earth’s surface. These things, of course, would eventually come to be referred to as fulgurites. But given their otherworldly appearance, it’s not unreasonable that our forefathers once thought that they’d been hurled from the heavens.
All Shapes And Sizes
There are certain characteristics common to all fulgurites, though they do come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Generally speaking, they are hollow in the middle, with tough, uneven outsides. But their measurements vary, and fulgurites can show up with colors ranging from green, tan, black and white.
Latin Roots
A more archaic understanding of fulgurites implied that the structures were transported to Earth by bolts of lightning. As a matter of fact, the term “fulgurite” is itself evidence of this particular belief. The word has its roots in Latin – coming from the word fulgur. For reference, this translates to English as “lightning.”
Created By Lightning
But fulgurites, in reality, are actually created by bolts of lightning – rather than simply being transported by them. When a bolt hits the ground, a sort of imprint is created and left to rest there. And this is what creates fulgurites, which are also referred to as “petrified lightning.”
Superheated Air
These petrified lightning specimens are created because of the extreme temperatures that surround bolts of lightning. According to Mental Floss, the air surrounding them heats up to more than 50,000 ⁰F, which is really difficult to fathom. To put it in perspective, the sun’s exterior hits temperatures of roughly five times less than that!
Rare, But Not Unheard Of
So, there are obviously consequences when lightning comes into contact with the surface of the Earth. If it hits a beach or a mountain, say, then there’s a good chance that a fulgurite will form. Basically, the heat of the lightning causes the particles in these surfaces to melt and reform really quickly as fulgurites. Sand fulgurites are more prevalent than rock ones, but the latter type aren’t impossible to find.
Identifying Rock Fulgurites
Rock fulgurites tend to be discovered at the apex of a mountain or near the top. They show up on the face of rocks – looking something like veins or arteries stretching out in different directions. And sometimes, the path of these branches follow the cracks that were already present in the rock.
On The Mountaintops
The reason that rock fulgurites are mostly found at the top of mountains is pretty simple. Basically, mountains tend to soak up lightning bolts that are unleashed during thunderstorms. That’s why you’ll find rock fulgurites at the highest points of ranges all over the world – from the Alps in Europe to the Rocky Mountains of North America.
Let The Experts Speak
We now know that fulgurites are a direct consequence of lightning strikes. But do they materialize after every bolt hits the ground? Well, Martin Uman of the University of Florida doesn’t necessarily think so. And he’s in a better position than most to answer this question, as he’s among the world’s leading experts on lightning.
Melting Sand
During the course of their studies on sand fulgurites, Uman and his contemporaries have noted the differences between individual specimens. He told Weatherwise in 1998, “We’ve seen fulgurites like soda straws. Others are one to two inches in diameter like heavy glass... like the current kept flowing and melting sand in a bigger and bigger area. Obviously, different current characteristics were involved in making fulgurites.”
Too Fragile To Move
Though Uman does have a warning for any amateurs hoping to uncover fulgurites. He said, “If a normal citizen tries to dig one of these out of the ground, they would destroy it because fulgurites are so fragile. It takes experts who are skilled at working with special tools and are used to digging up fossil bones. It’s definitely an art.”
Utmost Care
So make sure to be very careful if you happen to find a fulgurite along the seashore some day. If you break it, you’ll probably have to wait for the next thunderstorm before getting another chance to collect one. Having said that, there are other ways in which the structures are created. They can also come about because of the temperatures induced by nuclear explosions or meteors crashing to Earth – but these aren’t too likely to occur, either.
DIY Fulgurites
Amazingly, though, there are also ways for people to deliberately create these amazing objects themselves. It should go without saying that a great deal of care is essential for anybody who tries these things out, but some individuals have been successful. And there’s one method in particular that’s really simple.
Look Upwards
The first thing that needs to be done is fairly obvious. You’ll need to know if thunder and lightning is expected, so you should monitor the weather forecast. If it looks like a storm is on the way, then the more practical steps can get underway.
Find An Isolated Spot
A really secluded part of a sandy beach will be needed for this project to work. It can’t be a place where people or animals are likely to be, otherwise they could end up getting hurt. Once this isolated spot has been found, a lightning rod or length of rebar is driven into the sand. It’s not certain that a bolt will hit this bar, but that’s just how it goes.
Taking Precautions
Naturally, you need to ensure that you’re out of the way before the storm arrives. After all, it’s a venture in which bolts of lightning are purposely being coaxed into a particular area. So, nobody should be near that rod during the storm – or for many hours after it’s passed.
Extreme Temperatures
If the rod was actually struck by lightning, then it’ll be really hot for a while afterwards. And the same goes for the sand surrounding it. So, anyone checking the area for fulgurites will need to take great care not to scald themselves. But if everything went well, then they should have a specimen of petrified lightning to show for their efforts.
Not Natural, But Still Cool
There’s another method for purposely creating fulgurites that some people have made use of. According to Thought Co., you can use a transformer in order to create an artificial lightning bolt, which is then directed into silica material. This process can be effective, but the resulting fulgurite will likely be less impressive than naturally produced ones.
High Voltage Required
As Uman explained to Weatherwise, the manmade fulgurites would probably be much smaller than their natural counterparts. The professor said, “[The artificial specimens] would be no longer than 4 or 5 inches. You really need high voltage to make a long spark. Lightning makes a spark about 10 miles long.”
Keep Finding 'Em!
Uman initially started to look out for fulgurites simply because he was curious about them. And this isn’t surprising given his academic expertise on lightning. But as time went on and he came to learn more about them, his interest in the structures themselves deepened. As he reflected to Weatherwise, “They’re beautiful. They’ve become an obsession.”
Photos: https://hermoments.com/s/florida-vacation-trouble-teen?as=799&bdk=0&s=Florida+Teen+Contracts+Rare+Condition+At+The+Beach+And+Now+Her+Family+Is+Trying+To+Warn+Others&utm_medium=z270201
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