Boy, 14, loses chunk of leg after flesh-eating disease in Cheshire lake

A 14-year-old boy from Cheshire nearly lost his leg after contracting a flesh-eating disease following a swim in a lake with friends during a heatwave. Jacob Butler was left with a horrific wound on his right leg after deciding to take a dip at the Blue Lagoon in Colliers Moss Park near Burtonwood on the evening of Thursday, April 30.

As he jumped into the water, his right leg became caught on a piece of wire, slicing it down to the bone just below his knee. The severe gash subsequently became infected with necrotising fasciitis, a rare and potentially life-threatening condition. Jacob has been left with a 15cm section of muscle missing from his leg but was told he was fortunate to have avoided amputation.

His mother, Rebecca Butler, 33, is now speaking out about her son's ordeal to highlight the dangers of open water swimming. "The whole ordeal has been devastating for me as a mum," she said. "I honestly thought he was going to die and to be told he could have if I hadn't brought him to the hospital keeps me up at night. At one point there were what looked like 30 doctors and surgeons in the room all discussing his leg. All the worst-case scenarios were flying around my head."

Paramedics rushed to the location and Jacob was airlifted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Critically, a nearby fisherman came to his aid before emergency services arrived, wrapping his leg with a T-shirt to stem the blood loss. Rebecca credited this swift action with saving her son's life and preventing amputation.

Jacob underwent emergency surgery the following morning to remove signs of infection. However, on May 13, Rebecca noticed his leg had developed an odour like rotting flesh and rushed him back to hospital. He subsequently endured five hours of surgery to excise the infection. "It was just his bare bone underneath with no tissue left at all," Rebecca said.