Emily Brown
A Kentucky man was left with almost no face after he contracted a rare fungal infection with a 50 percent mortality rate.
Mark Tatum was in his early 40s when he contracted the infection, which can develop after contact with things like soil or rotting food.
After Tatum developed the infection, Dr Wayne K. Stadelmann, a plastic surgeon with the University of Louisville Medical Center, admitted doctors initially 'didn't think he was going to survive'.
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"The prognosis was extremely grim," he added, as per CNN.
Known as mucormycosis or 'black fungus', the infection can come from inhaling or coming into contact with mold spores called mucormycetes, and can affect everything from the sinuses and skin to the lungs and brain.
The fungus had already infected Tatum's nose, eyes, cheekbones, upper jaw and teeth, and the doctors had to take action if they were going to stop it from killing him.
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To prevent the fungus from traveling to his brain, doctors removed the infected areas of Tatum's face - leaving behind very little of his original features.
Looking back, Tatum said two things saved him when he was close to death: the love of his wife, and a dream he'd had in which his granddaughter reached out for his help.
After doctors removed the infected areas, Tatum then began a long process of undergoing surgeries to reconstruct the features of his head.
Doctors initially used skin and tissue taken from his leg to reconstruct the roof of Tatum's mouth so he could speak and eat.
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Later, medics took a bone from Tatum's leg and put it into his face before building titanium bridgework, which in turn could hold a new prosthetic 'face'.
The prosthetic was created by prosthodontist Zafrulla Khan, of the University of Louisville, who described the work as the most extensive he'd ever made.
Two years after his ordeal began in 2000, Tatum commented: "Look at me now. I may not be beautiful, but I'm damn near it."
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Tatum sadly passed away in 2005, but Dr Stadelman previously praised his resilience through the traumatic experience, saying: "He is a true testament to the human spirit."
Worryingly, infection from black fungus can happen to anyone at any age.
In fact, most people will come into contact with the fungus at some point in their everyday lives, according to WebMD, but those with weakened immune systems are more at risk of falling ill from contact with the spores.
Symptoms of infection include chest pain, swelling on one side of your face, sinus congestion and stomach pain.
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The infection can be deadly, with the CDC noting that 'depending on the patient and body site(s) affected, mucormycosis may be associated with >50% mortality rate'.