United States: He came close to death after trying to remove an ingrown hair

Steven Spinal is a miracle. Two years ago, this American from Texas was declared brain dead and doctors gave him only a 4% chance of survival. Against all expectations, the 38-year-old came out of the coma and today continues to slowly recover from the horrific experience. “We never lost hope. And luckily, he is alive today,” marvels his sister Michelle, whose videos recently went viral on TikTok.

Steven’s ordeal began in late 2022. Dad contracted a nasty infection while trying to remove an ingrown hair on his groin, and his health deteriorated rapidly. The unfortunate man went to several hospitals, which did not take him seriously. “They thought he was making it all up. He started vomiting blood and even then they sent him home,” says Michelle on the social network. The next day, Steven’s other sisters ended up calling the emergency services: he couldn’t breathe.

At first, doctors had a hard time understanding what was happening to the thirty-year-old. Eventually they discovered a rare bacteria in his blood system that was attacking all of his organs. “It declined rapidly until everything fell apart. He was put on respiratory support,” Mitchell testified. The bacteria contracted by Steven caused septic shock and the consequences were so devastating that surgery was impossible.

Steven had to be put into an induced coma and intubated. Doctors told his wife that he might never recover from the condition, giving him only a 4% chance of survival. However, thirty-year-old loved ones never lost hope, tirelessly curled up on his bed. After a month in a coma and numerous treatments – including open heart surgery – Steven emerged with no neurological after-effects. Released from the hospital in a wheelchair, the thirty-year-old continues to learn to walk again.

“I still think about the day they told us Steven was brain dead and we had to unplug the machine to keep him alive. What a journey we’ve been on,” Michelle wrote, in response to several internet users who criticized Steven for causing unnecessary pain to his loved ones. “I’m glad we didn’t give up and let him go. Because he wasn’t ready. The doctors Thought otherwise, but we followed our instinct,” he explained on TikTok.