Man catches horror bug after drinking ‘river beer’

An Australian man has developed a huge stomach growth after drinking a beer that had fallen into a river during a fishing trip.

John MacDonald was on the Brisbane River when he dropped his beer, he immediately fished it out of the water and carried on drinking. Just hours later the 60-year-old became seriously ill as a mystery bacteria made his stomach balloon.

MacDonald told the Sunshine Coast Daily that after heading to hospital he was initially prescribed antibiotics to fight the infection. But just over a week later he was admitted to hospital for surgery. That initial operation failed and he underwent a second procedure that also failed. Following that MacDonald fell into a coma and his family were told that he was unlikely to pull through.

After being transferred to the Royal Brisbane Hospital, John came round, but has been told that he needs another six operations to cure the problem. The first was scheduled for last week, but that had to be cancelled due to a shortage of beds.

MacDonald has now turned to the press in the hope of finding a doctor somewhere in the world who might be able to help with his problem.

He told the Sunshine Coast Daily: “I want to tell my story to the world in the hope that someone somewhere might answer my prayers and finally get me well – I’m a good bloke and I want to be around for my kids and my little grandchild so if there’s a bloody good doc out there that can help, then give me a holler.”

He added: “Clearly the Brisbane River is far more polluted than people think – it was a split second decision on my part – a stupid one – and I have to live with this for the rest of my life.”