A Mississippi family is raising awareness after their grandfather died from a flesh-eating bacteria – as cases continue to rise.
Basil Kennedy, 77, of Bay St Louis, near New Orleans, died in the hospital on July 21, just days after contracting Vibrio vulnificus, a rare but potentially deadly bacterium often found in warm coastal waters.
Kennedy, a long-time sailor, got infected after he cut his leg on the trailer he had used to launch a boat into the Mississippi waters. He had used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and covered it with a Band-Aid.
But within three days, the infection took over and the grandfather-of-two was taken to the hospital with a fever, vomiting, and elevated levels of lactic acid – a warning sign of sepsis – his daughter Kay Kennedy Regimbal told Nola.com.
While there, he underwent two surgeries to remove the infected skin tissue and doctors determined the cause was the flesh-eating bacteria.
He died of organ failure days later.
‘If you met him once or a million times, you loved him,’ his daughter, Rebekah Kennedy, wrote on Facebook.
‘The sun shined brighter, the smiles were bigger, and the mood was lighter when he was around. He made every room immediately more fun,’ she said.
Basil Kennedy, 77, of Bay St Louis, near New Orleans, died in the hospital on July 21, just days after contracting Vibrio vulnificus, a rare but potentially deadly bacterium often found in warm coastal waters
Kennedy, a long-time sailor, got infected after he cut his leg on the trailer he had used to launch a boat into the Mississippi waters
The bacteria (pictured) is naturally found in brackish – a mix of fresh and saltwater – and coastal waters and have elevated numbers between May and October
‘My dad wasn’t just special; he was the life of every party and the pillar of our family. He inspired, challenged, and made us all better for having known him.’
His two daughters are now raising awareness of the rare infection that has already killed 32 people across the Gulf Coast this year.
Seventeen people in Louisiana, including four deaths, have been infected with it this year.
The bacteria is naturally found in brackish, a mix of fresh and saltwater, and coastal waters. It is most prevalent between May and October, the CDC said.
The bacteria typically populates the waters off the Gulf Coast, but has slowly made its way northward, appearing in the waters off North Carolina, where it has infected 59 people and killed one since January 1, according to state health records.
Vibrio eats away at skin tissue until it shrivels, turns black, and dies, a condition called necrotizing fasciitis. It requires lengthy surgery to strip the dead skin from the patient’s body or amputation to remove the limb to save the person’s life.
People mainly contract the infection from eating raw or undercooked shellfish or having an open wound that becomes infected.
Health experts warn that it can cause everything from nasty bouts of stomach illness to dangerous wound infections and, in the most severe cases, it can trigger life-threatening blood poisoning.
Within three days, the infection took over and the grandfather-of-two was taken to the hospital with a fever, vomiting, and elevated levels of lactic acid – a warning sign of sepsis
While in hospital he underwent two surgeries to remove the infected skin tissue and doctors determined the cause was the flesh-eating bacteria
Roughly one in five will die from the infection, typically within only a few days of contracting it.
Symptoms of the disease include watery diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, low blood pressure, blistering skin lesions, discoloration, and discharge.
The number of cases is rising as due to climate change making the waters warmer.
The bacteria thrive in waters between 68 degrees Fahrenheit and 95 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius).
These temperatures are becoming more common as the planet warms, and as ocean temperatures rise, Vibrio is spreading further north and remaining on coasts longer.
Despite the infection killing their father, Kay and Rebekah do not want people to fear the water, their father’s favorite place.
‘There doesn’t need to be a fear of the water,’ Kay told Nola.com. ‘There needs to be an education and a knowledge of if you have a cut, if you potentially could have been exposed, if there is a risk, how to handle it and what to do.’
The former banker spent most of his life on the water and it was his ‘happy place’.
The local yachting community honored his life by giving him an honorary seat on their boat
This year, Kennedy, who went by ‘Boppy’ to his grandchildren, was awarded the Jack and Flo Scheib Award from the Gulf Yachting Association for his contributions to sailing (pictured: Kennedy receiving his award alongside his wife and daughters)
He even co-founded the Waveland Ground Zero Museum to remember the history of Hurricane Katrina.
He also served as a board member, treasurer, and commodore for the Bay Waveland Yacht Club.
This year, Kennedy, who went by ‘Boppy’ to his grandchildren, was awarded the Jack and Flo Scheib Award from the Gulf Yachting Association for his contributions to sailing, his obituary revealed.
The museum created a scholarship in his memory, alongside LiLi Stahler, for their ‘vision and dedication.’
The Ole Miss alumnus even boated around Canada and took a cruise with his wife from England to Miami.
‘He was happy. He was resilient. He had a servant’s heart,’ Rebekah told Nola.com.
‘Basil was one of these guys who liked to bring people together to enjoy each other’s company, and it was always just fun being around him,’ close friend, Corky Hadden, told WWLTV.
Despite the infection killing their father, Kay and Rebekah do not want people to fear the water
The former banker, pictured with his wife in France, spent most of his life on the water and it was his happy place
‘You knew you were going to have a good time.’
Kennedy is survived by his wife Marie Kuhner Kennedy, his daughters, and his grandchildren.
Daily Mail has reached out to the family for comment.