THE friend of a man who had both of his legs amputated after he was bitten by a dog with bacteria-infested teeth has rallied to get him a holiday.
In October last year, the Gazette revealed how builder Mark Day, who lives in Greenstead, Colchester, had been in hospital since August after being bitten by the dog.
Mark’s wife Pauline said the Japanese Akita, called Ted, changed her family forever after her brother bought him as a pet for £1,500.
The family had no idea that Ted was a silent killer with deadly bacteria crawling inside his mouth.
Mark, 61, has had all his left-hand fingers amputated and has now had both legs amputated due to sepsis caused by Ted’s toxic mouth.
His brother-in-law, Barry Harris, 46, had already died after a bite from the same dog caused an infection which led to a fatal cardiac arrest.
Now Mark’s friend, Graham Harris, known as Harry, has teamed up with his Hazlando bandmate Orlando Passfield, to release a song dedicated to his struggling mate.
Read more:
- 'A dog bite killed my brother... now another means my husband's legs need amputating'
- 'It is a nightmare' - Man has legs amputated after bite from dog
It is part of an effort to raise enough money to send Mark and Pauline on holiday, as well as funding adaptations to his car to get the 61-year-old back moving again.
Harry, who met Mark growing up in Greenstead in the 1970s and share a passion for motorbikes, said: “I can’t believe just months ago we were laughing and messing about.
“Mark would come down the road sticking his fingers up at me, he’s a lovely guy.
“He’s doing OK and he’ll laugh and chuckle now, but he says to the nurse: ‘Why didn’t you just let me go?’ “It’s just horrific and when I look at the pictures of him before all of this, tears just roll down my face. I wanted to help in any way I could.”
The song, which can now be viewed on YouTube, took the duo almost three months to write, with every word dedicated to Mark.
Harry, 63, added: “We want to get him a holiday as, at the moment, he doesn’t want to do anything or go out.”
You can support the fundraiser here.
You can view the song here.
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