In December 2024, Max Armstrong went on a week-long camping trip in Colorado with a group of friends. At the time, it seemed like a normal outdoor getaway, and he had no idea it would end with him spending six days in a coma.
During the trip, the American camper burned his thumb while cooking after grabbing the wrong part of a skillet, causing what first seemed like a fairly ordinary injury.
At first, he did not see the burn as anything unusual or especially dangerous. As he put 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.”
Once he was done cooking, he cleaned the wound, wrapped it up, and carried on with the trip. But within a couple of days, he noticed one of his legs had started to swell, which was the first sign that something was going badly wrong.
By December 7, Max and his friends had packed up camp and were getting ready to head home after the trip.
That was when one of his friends urged him to get checked out after seeing that his toenails were turning purple, a sign that made it clear this was no longer something to ignore.
Describing how the burn had changed by then, he said: “At this point, the burn on my thumb had become pretty ugly; it had turned black and looked like it was eating away at my thumb,”
While sitting with doctors and trying to explain his symptoms, the business owner said his condition suddenly got worse. His eyes started “rolling back in his head,” and he began “talking nonsense,” which showed the medical team that this was a severe emergency.
Because his case was so serious, Armstrong was transferred to AdventHealth Porter, where staff had facilities that were better suited to handling the level of care he needed.
Doctors then placed him into an induced coma for six days. His family was warned to prepare for the worst, but on December 13, he woke up.
He also recalled the emotional reaction from his loved ones when they realized he had made it through, saying: “My family was extremely happy. I could hear them cheering and then the nurses came in and started cleaning me up.”
He later learned that while he was in the coma, the sepsis had destroyed his feet and had started moving upward into his legs, leaving doctors with no way to save them.
On December 23, he underwent a three-hour surgery to remove both legs. After that, he spent another month recovering in the hospital as he began facing the reality of what had happened.
He continued: “I felt down my leg and realised that my legs weren’t there. I asked the nurse, and she confirmed that I had my legs amputated.”
He also explained how one nurse helped keep him grounded in that moment by saying: “She told me that my family was waiting for me and kept on reminding me of them, which anchored me.”
He now relies on a wheelchair, but he has been focused on building strength in his upper body, especially his triceps and shoulders, because those muscles will now play a major role in helping him stay mobile and independent. He has described those exercises as his “lifeline.”
Looking back on everything, Armstrong said: “It was a hunting trip with friends that turned into a bit of a nightmare,” He added: “Sadly, dinner was enough for the burn to get strep A.”
