|
|
|
| Tue, Nov. 24 - - Mobile - RSS | |
|
|
After loss of leg, a 'big battle' ahead
89-year-old Colonial Beach waterman loses leg to apparent waterborne bacteria, but vows to keep going
Date published: 9/17/2009
BY FRANK DELANO "I gotta get out of here," Harry "Long John" Studds said this week from his bed at VCU Medical Center in Richmond. "I've got a big battle to face at 90," he said. "If I could get back to Colonial Beach and get a wheelchair and talk to people, I'd feel a whole lot better." Studds' homecoming may happen tomorrow, but his right leg will not be coming with him. A raging infection that he is certain came from the water caused doctors to amputate his leg to save his life. "They took the whole leg. They wanted to make sure they got all of the infection to keep it from spreading to my heart," Studds said. "His doctors said they may never know for sure what caused his infection, but they're pretty confident it was Vibrio," said Studds' granddaughter, Christy Sanders. Like all watermen in the Potomac and other rivers near the Chesapeake Bay, Studds knows about "fishermen's disease," the common name given to Vibrio and other serious bacterial infections caused by microorganisms in the water. "I figured it wouldn't get me, but it did," said Studds. His granddaughter said, "The river has kept him going. Unfortunately, the river may now be the thing that has brought him down a little." He was a boy in Alexandria when he first started working on the river with an uncle in the seafood business. After serving in the Navy in World War II and driving a bus in Alexandria, Studds moved to Colonial Beach in 1969 and became a waterman. In recent years, he has trapped eels for bait in about 50 eel pots in Mattox Creek, Monroe Bay and the Potomac. This year, he noticed something different. "This was the first year in all my time on the water that I saw raw, open sores on the eels and catfish I caught in my pots," he said. The infected fish first turned red, then developed lesions and died within a day or two, he said.
Date published: 9/17/2009
You the man Harry!
(posted by
Martin
, Sep. 18, 2009 12:09 am)
Good luck during your recovery. It sounds like you have a ton of fight left in ya. Harry is an inspiration to the retired folks and should be one to the ones that still work. My hat is off to you, sir.
Winning the Battle
(posted by
BooBoo1
, Sep. 18, 2009 12:01 am)
After watching you deal with and adapt to this terrible situation, I've been reminded again what a strong and determined man you are. Many people in your position would have given up but instead you've chosen to take this challenge head on. Apparently God hasn't finished w/ you yet, considering how close we were to losing you and now you're getting ready to go home I am so proud of you! I'm thankful for all that you've taught me and continue to teach me even now. You are an inspiration to us all!
|
 |
|||
|
|||
