While on a missionary trip to Florida with 17 other boys from his church, Michael Dumas decided to hit Pompano Beach for a day of relaxation on June 18. But as Michael and his friends would soon discover, their day at the beach would soon haunt them for weeks.
“I’m a dentist, and I have a degree in biology — I have dissected things. Science is my gig,” Kelli tells PEOPLE. “But hearing your son has parasitic worms inside of his body and that they’re replicating and growing? As a mother, my stomach tightened up into a big tight ball and started flipping around. I thought I was going to throw up.”
Horrifyingly enough — among the multiple hookworms that were found buried beneath Michael’s skin — doctors found one that measured three-inches in length.
Courtesy: Kelli Mulhollen Dumas
Hookworms are parasites that are typically spread to other humans through the fecal matter of an infected person, according to theCenters for Disease Control. If the contaminated feces are left on the ground after someone defecates, hookworm larvae can then penetrate the skin of those who come in contact with it, such as when someone walks across the ground with their bare feet.
Since then, five other members of the missionary team who visited Pompano Beach have tested positive for hookworms, Kelli says.
Over the last few weeks, Michael has been given a series of medications to treat the infection. Michael also went through a painful cryotherapy session to help rid himself of the parasites.
Courtesy Kelli Mulhollen Dumas
“The doctor started on his left foot, between his toes,” Kelli says. “That’s when Michael told her that he could feel the worms moving inside of his body trying to get away as she was torching them. That was disgusting.”
According to theCDC, severe hookworm infections can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and anemia. If a young child is infected, their physical and cognitive growth can also be affected. The agency recommends that people refrain from walking barefoot in areas where there could be possible fecal contamination.
“My son is going to have permanent scars from this. He has a gaping wound on his right foot. He has four sutures. This is not a joke,” she says. “This is beyond any scope, I never dreamed this is something that would happen.”
source: people.com
