Man Burns Thumb While Cooking, Wakes Up to Find Both Legs Amputated

Max Armstrong, 40, was enjoying a camping trip with friends in Kiowa, Colorado, when a seemingly harmless injury took a devastating turn. While preparing pasta for dinner after a week in the wilderness, he accidentally burned his thumb on a hot skillet.

From a Small Burn to a Life-Threatening Emergency
“I grabbed the skillet wrong, and my thumb touched the hot part,” Armstrong recalled. “It burned, but I didn’t want to drop it.”

Having spent most of his life outdoors, he didn’t think much of it, treating the burn with basic first aid before continuing his trip. However, within days, he noticed one of his legs had started to swell.

At first, he assumed he had simply twisted his ankle and ignored the pain. But by December 7th, as he packed up his tent for the night, things took a serious turn.

The Start of a Medical Nightmare
“My buddy suggested we go to the hospital, and at that point, my toenails had started turning purple, and the swelling had worsened,” Armstrong said.

When he arrived at AdventHealth Parker hospital, he was alarmed to see that his thumb burn had turned black and appeared to be eating away at his skin. As he sat with doctors, his condition rapidly deteriorated—his eyes rolled back, and he began speaking incoherently.

Doctors soon discovered that a bacterial infection from the burn had led to strep sepsis, a life-threatening condition if left untreated. Armstrong was immediately transferred to AdventHealth Porter, where specialists placed him in a medically induced coma for six days.

A Devastating Diagnosis
On December 13, Armstrong miraculously regained consciousness, but doctors had warned his loved ones to prepare for the worst.

“Everyone was so happy to see me awake,” he said. “Doctors had told them I might not make it.”

However, his relief was short-lived. When he looked down, he realized that both of his feet had turned completely black. The infection had spread during his coma, and his legs could not be saved.

On December 23, after a three-hour surgery, both of Armstrong’s legs were amputated.

Waking Up to a New Reality
“When I woke up, I thought my legs were still there,” Armstrong recalled. “Then I reached down and realized they weren’t. I asked the nurse, and she confirmed it.”

She reminded him that his family was waiting for him, which helped ground him in that heartbreaking moment.

Adjusting to Life After Amputation
After spending a month in the hospital, Armstrong was transferred to Sky Ridge Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation for 16 more days of recovery.

Although he now requires a wheelchair, he is determined to regain as much mobility as possible by strengthening his shoulders and triceps, calling the exercises his “lifeline.”

Reflecting on his ordeal, Armstrong said, “What started as a fun hunting trip with friends turned into a nightmare. Sadly, one small burn was all it took for me to contract strep A.”