I burned my thumb on a camping trip and had to get my legs amputated

Max Armstrong, 40, was camping with his friends to Kiowa, Colorado, US, in December 2024, when he burned his thumb on a skillet while cooking pasta for their dinnerHe didn’t think anything of it, but as the days went on his left leg started to swell up, his toenails began turning purple and he was in pain.After six days, Max was driven to AdventHealth Parker, Parker, Colorado, and once he got into the emergency room, his eyes started rolling back in his head.Doctors quickly confirmed that strep A bacteria had gotten into his burn and that quickly developed into sepsis – which can be life-threatening if not treated properly.Max was placed into an induced coma for six days and during that time was transported to AdventHealth Porter, Denver, Colorado – as they had better facilities.When he woke from the coma on December 13, Max says his feet were both completely black and doctors recommended amputation – telling him they would be impossible to save.On December 23, 2024, Max had a three-hour operation to amputate both of his legs.After more than a month recovering in hospital, he was able to go home to his wife, Megan Armstrong, 42, and learn how to live life in a wheelchair.Max, a business owner, from Franktown, Colorado, said: “It was a hunting trip with friends that turned into a bit of a nightmare.“I grabbed a skillet wrong and my thumb touched the hot part, I could feel it burning as I moved it to the table but I didn’t want to drop it.“I didn’t think much of it as I have gotten burns, scrapes and cuts from living in the outdoors and being outdoors my whole life.“After dinner, I cleaned up the burn, put a bandage on it and left it.“Sadly, dinner was enough for the burn to get strep A.”Max and his friends were on a week camping trip when he touched a hot skillet and burnt his thumb.He cleaned the burn, wrapped it up and didn’t think anything of it until his left leg started to swell up two days later.Max said: “Two days after I got the bu...