WHEN A SEVERE INFECTION THREATENED TO COST JANICE FARKAS HER LOWER LEFT LEG, PHYSICIANS AT WASHINGTON HEALTH SYSTEM USED SKILL AND PERSISTENCE TO SAVE IT. In October 2018, Janice, a 45-year-old Operations Manager from Washington, visited the Emergency Department at WHS Washington Hospital for a swollen, painful left foot. What followed was shocking: She learned that a blister on the sole of her foot had led to necrotizing fasciitis, a type of bacterial infection that destroys tissue. She also had sepsis, a serious inflammatory condition that can occur when the body is fighting infection. For days, physicians worked feverishly to avoid having to amputate Janice’s lower leg. “I had five surgeries in six days that removed a large amount of flesh from my left foot,” Janice says. “I spent six weeks in a rehab facility with a wound vacuum on my foot, and then I received treatment with various medications on the surgical wounds to promote healing.” Janice credits James Marks, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, Medical Director of the WHS Wound and Skin Healing Center, and WHS Podiatrist Nicholas Lowery, DPM, with acting quickly to save her leg while she was in the hospital, and Dr. Marks for his dogged efforts to get her wounds to heal in the months after her surgeries. Janice said, “Dr. Marks went above and beyond in making sure I stayed in a good mental place during a long healing process. I felt fully cared for, and I credit his extensive knowledge for the fact that I have healed well from the surgeries.” Now, she can walk, work and enjoy her favorite activities. Dr. Marks continues to monitor her and is cautiously optimistic about the long-term health of her leg. “I’m so fortunate that Dr. Marks and Dr. Lowery thought beyond the medical situation and considered the whole person and my quality of life, even in an emergency,” Janice says. “I’ll forever be grateful for that.”
