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del.icio.usDrug-resistant staph sickens KC-area teen
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - A Kansas City-area teenager who tried to pierce his lip with a needle from a first-aid kit ended up with a staph infection that almost killed him.
Zeke Wheeler of Blue Springs is recovering at Children's Mercy Hospital after several surgeries on his knees and hips to remove the drug-resistant infection called MRSA.
Now the 15-year-old high school freshman faces heart surgery, more hospitalization and a long course of antibiotics.
The boy's father -- John Wheeler -- said Wednesday that the boy was at home ill with flu and bronchitis on April 8 and tried to pierce his lower lip. A week later the boy felt feverish and went to an emergency room, where he was diagnosed with a viral infection.
Not until he was at Children's Mercy was he found to have MRSA.
