TAMPA, Fla. – A 73-year-old Dade City man is celebrating a full recovery after surviving a life-threatening case of sepsis that left him in a medically induced coma for 10 days at Tampa General Hospital.
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Dade City sepsis survival
The backstory:
Larry Anzalone, 73, of Dade City, went to bed after dinner with friends on June 3. He later woke up in the intensive care unit at Tampa General Hospital, strapped to a bed after spending 10 days in a medically induced coma.
The medical emergency began with an ear infection in May. Doctors say that infection spiraled into bacterial meningitis, a brain clot, pneumonia, and sepsis. Sepsis stands as the primary killer of hospital patients.
“They told my family the likelihood was greater than not that I would pass. And if I did make it, I would probably have some physical, mental, or emotional, problems. And by the grace of God, I’m a miracle man,” said Anzalone.
Family support and recovery
What they’re saying:
Dr. Kartik Cherabuddi, the chief hospital epidemiology officer at Tampa General Hospital, monitored Anzalone’s care. Cherabuddi called his recovery miraculous and described him as a fighter backed by TGH’s medical team.
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“In his case, Larry was vaccinated twice for pneumococcus before, but there are so many kinds of pneumococcus that you can still get some of these strains,” said Cherabuddi. “Time really is what matters in sepsis. So, we have a whole monitoring team that reviews every patient and tries to detect it as early as possible and then prompts the clinical teams.”
Anzalone credits his wife, Sherry, with helping him survive while he was in a coma.
“I heard her voice, and she whispered the same thing to me every night. She goes, ‘You’re the love of my life. And don’t leave me.’ And it kept going through my head,” said Anzalone.
Life after hospitalization
What’s next:
Following a month of rehabilitation, Anzalone returned home without needing walking assistance. He is now regaining lost weight, refocusing his energy, and planning a vacation with his wife.
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