- Alex Lewis, 34, thought he had caught a cold when he fell ill last November
- He actually had strep A which caused septicaemia and toxic shock syndrome
- His organs started to shut down and he spent a week in a coma in hospital
- He had to have both his legs and an arm amputated after they turned black
- Mr Lewis also lost part of his nose and his lips as doctors fought to save him
- He finally returned home to his family in June but faced months of rehab
- Now he has endured a 20-hour operation to rebuild his mouth and lips
- As part of the operation new lips were built using flesh from his shoulder
- Two veins were fused into his artery so new mouth had its own blood supply
- They will eventually shrink in size and turn the same colour as his face
- Wants his photos to be published so that he can be a role model to his sonÂ
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENTÂ
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A young father who lost all four of his limbs when a common cold turned into a flesh-eating bug has endured a 20-hour operation to rebuild his lips.
Alex Lewis, 34, lost his arms, legs and parts of his face to a deadly virus but has now had his face transformed using flesh from his shoulder.
The quadruple amputee underwent two days of gruelling surgery to open his mouth back up and give him back his lips.
Mr Lewis spent six hours in the operating theatre at Salisbury District Hospital while surgeon Dr Alexandra Crick opened up his mouth and stitched in a temporary sponge foam.
Alex Lewis, 34, lost all four of his limbs as well as his lips when a common cold turned into a flesh-eating bug last NovemberÂ
 The father-of-one has now undergone a 20-hour operation to rebuild his lips using flesh from his shoulderÂ
His lips were then built up using flesh from his shoulder and two veins were fused into his artery so his new flesh has its own blood supply.
Extra skin was finally stitched onto the left side of his mouth, which will be removed in two weeks if there are no problems with the healing process.
The new skin around Mr Lewis’ lips will eventually turn the same colour as his face, the skin will shrink and there will be no scarring.Â
The operation left Mr Lewis ‘petrified’ but he said he is now confident that one day he will smile again.
Mr Lewis, who lives in Stockbridge, Hampshire, with wife Lucy and their three-year-old son Sam, said: ‘This feels like an incredible step forward to the end result.
‘I feel now the worst is over and I can now look forward to the healing process of my face changing.
‘I know it will look like me, just with a few cuts and bruises along the way.
‘But I have never felt so scared. I was absolutely petrified.
‘I could see the puffiness of my lips and the big flap of skin on the left hand side of my mouth and thought “my Godâ€.
The former pub landlord (pictured with his wife Lucy and son Sam) credits his family and friends for their support over the last nine months
‘It started a complete mind melt down. I started tripping about where I was, I couldn’t wake up, I couldn’t stay awake, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t focus.Â
‘That series of different nightmares went on for hours.’
In November, Mr Lewis battled against the odds to make a remarkable recovery after doctors gave him a three per cent chance of survival.
Doctors were forced to amputate both legs above the knee as well as his left arm, when a Strep A infection developed into septicaemia and toxic shock syndrome.
WHAT IS STREP A?Â
Group A streptococci is a bacteria commonly found in the throat and on the skin.
The vast majority of infections are relatively mild illnesses, such as strep throat and impetigo.
Occasionally, however, the bacteria can become life-threatening if it enters parts of the body where it is not usually found – such as the blood, muscles or the lungs.
The bacteria is often spread through direct contact with the mucus of an infected person and through contact with infected skin wounds and sores.
Invasive group A streptococcal disease, which may occur when the bacteria gets past the body’s defences, is a severe and sometimes life-threatening infection in which the bacteria has invaded parts of the body, such as the blood, deep muscle and fat tissue or the lungs.
Two of the most severe forms of invasive group A streptococcal disease are called necrotising fasciitis (infection of muscle and fat tissue) and toxic shock syndrome (a rapidly progressing infection causing injury to the major organs).
The early signs and symptoms of necrotising fasciitis include fever, severe pain and swelling, and redness at the wound site.The early symptoms of toxic shock syndrome may include fever, dizziness, confusion, low blood pressure, rash and abdominal pain.
He lost his lips to the deadly bug and spent a week in a coma as the deadly bacteria wreaked havoc through his body.
But he said this latest operation has been one of the toughest for him to come to terms with.
He said: ‘It’s the strangest thing, when it comes to limb loss, you can cope with it.
‘It is something you can adapt to because you know long-term you will walk again and you will use your arms again in some form.
‘When it comes to facial reconstruction or facial disfigurement, I think vanity gets the better of you.
‘I started thinking “what does Lucy see now?†Physically it’s not all there. There are vast amounts missing. That’s very hard to get your head around.
‘I think following the latest surgery the level of my disfigurement became apparent.
‘It was the shock factor. I didn’t know I’d wake up to this face and then it suddenly became everything.
‘I got used to having such a small mouth for so long so to wake up and find I’ve now got skin everywhere all over my face, felt very alien. I just didn’t look like me any more.
‘I saw my mouth opening and thought “wow, that’s amazing, I’ve got my mouth backâ€.
‘I shut my eyes and thought “great, I can eat whenever I want†but then I thought of noodles.
‘I love noodles but I can’t twist a fork around for noodles because I haven’t got a hand.
‘I felt so deflated by that one notion of not being able to eat noodles properly.
‘I soon snapped out though. I was guilty of thinking about the here and now rather than what the future holds for me.
‘And you can’t underestimate the effects of the anaesthetic.’Â
In six months he will undergo more surgery to chisel in the shape of his lips and shadow lines before having the texture tattooed on.
Mr Lewis says he hopes people will appreciate the level of surgery and skill that was undertaken to build his new mouth, although he admits he finds he finds looking at pictures of his new lips ‘funny in a macabre way’. He is pictured following the first stage when surgeons attached foam to help create his new lips
Mr Lewis (pictured with son Sam) wants his photos to be published so he can be a role model to his son and send a positive message to others with facial disfigurements
Mr Lewis wants his photos to be published so that he can be a role model to his son Sam.
He said: ‘I think a lot of people I know will thankfully appreciate the level of surgery and the skill that was undertaken in it all, and they won’t just see two huge puffy lips.
‘It is quite comical to look at. I do find it funny in a macabre kind of way, a weird funny.
’I won’t shy away from it though. It will affect me at times and I’m sure I’ll see myself in the mirror and think “look at the state of that†but that’s part of it.
‘I want my son to be proud of me and at ease in his skin and with everything he does.
‘You have no clue what life is going to throw at you and you have to deal with it as it comes.
‘I don’t want him to stress about the little things in life.’
He added that the experience has made him less concerned about body image.
He said: ‘I am far more comfortable in my skin now than I ever was.
 Extra skin was sown on to the lips, which will be removed soon if the healing process goes to plan
‘I always tried to look my best when I went out but I won’t ever miss those days again. I have got a whole different view on vanity now.
‘I used to have body issues. I used to hate my legs, which is ironic because I haven’t got any now. I don’t have those fears any more or those worries.’
The support of family and friends has been integral to his recovery over the last nine months, as setback after setback left him feeling like he was ‘falling to the ground’.
Mr Lewis said: ‘The way my life is in this whole interesting chapter; losing arms, legs, skin grafts, dialysis, everything that can possibly be chucked at me, I can only describe it like I was falling to the ground really quickly.
‘But the people around me are like a huge parachute and as the process has gone on, the parachute has come out making sure I don’t fall to the ground.’
And though nervous about people’s reactions to his new face, he is looking forward to showing off the impressive surgery to the outside world and sending a positive message to others with facial disfigurements.
He said: ‘This whole process has made me see what I’ve got which is just so amazing.
‘Of course I wish I didn’t have to go through this to find what I have but I have changed for the better as a result.
‘And every hour of surgery, every hour of rehab, every minute of looking at the ceiling thinking when can I go, when can I leave, what’s it going to be like when I go, will be worth it because if it enhances my life in that way, then that’s something.’
He added that his ordeal has grounded him and given him a valuable sense of perspective as well as vast amounts of hope for the future.
He said: ‘I have a clearer perspective on what things are all about now. I certainly won’t look at other things in such disastrous proportions.
‘At this moment I am 100 per cent at ease with myself and I don’t feel concerned for what the future holds. I think the future is good.’
Mr Lewis has set up the Al Lewis Trust to raise money for rehabilitation costs and help other civilian amputees. For more information and to donate, go to alex-lewis.co.ukÂ
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