A woman was left paralyzed after sharing a certain item with a friend, and now a doctor has issued a warning.
Jo Gilchrist, a mother from Queensland, had her life drastically changed in 2015 after borrowing a makeup brush from a friend.
Unbeknownst to her, the friend was carrying a Staphylococcus infection, a common bacterial condition typically treated with antibiotics.
However, the strain that entered Jo’s bloodstream through a small cut on her face was Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a dangerous type of bacteria resistant to many common antibiotics, including penicillin.
The infection had devastating consequences, leaving Jo wheelchair-bound. She had used the borrowed makeup brush to cover a pimple, unknowingly allowing the bacteria to spread.
Recalling her experience in an interview with 9Entertainment, Jo described the terrifying moment she realized the extent of the infection.
"It travelled around my body, into my spinal column and slowly strangled my spinal cord. I did at one stage think I was going to die, and I was dying slowly," she said.
"Lying in surgery staring at the lights, hyperventilating, telling them, 'I've got a two-year-old who needs me, I'm all he's got,' that was probably one of the hardest things I've ever been through," she added.
Following five months in the hospital and an intensive rehabilitation program, Jo defied expectations by regaining her ability to walk.
"I found this incredible place called Making Strides. Sometimes they're teaching people how to walk again or take their first steps, or they're teaching people to become more independent with their spinal cord injuries," she explained.
"In my case, I was just incredibly lucky to have the message go down to my legs to be able to move them in the first place.
"To go from being mostly in my wheelchair to running, it's just incredible. I never ever thought that was possible, especially when you get told, 'You won't walk again, you can't do this.'"
Singapore-based doctor Dr. Samuel Choudhury has since highlighted Jo’s case on social media, emphasizing the risks associated with sharing personal items like makeup brushes.
"It can still happen to anyone... say no to MRSA [and] don't share make-up brushes," he warned in an Instagram post.
Meanwhile, Jo is urging others to listen to their bodies and seek medical attention if something feels wrong.
"Once you've been dealt a not-so-great hand, you do have the ability to stand up and fight for a little bit more independence or to overcome trauma," she said.
"There's always a possibility that you might come out better than you ever thought was possible."