Sylvia Halcrow, a 53-year-old civil servant from Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, believes the metal in her underwire bra caused a scratch that eventually led to a dangerous bacterial infection known as necrotising fasciitis.
Sylvia’s ordeal began in May 2022 when she noticed a lump on her breast, which quickly turned into a painful abscess.
She saw her GP and was prescribed antibiotics, but the pain intensified over the course of a few days. Concerned about her deteriorating condition, Sylvia attended A&E.
Doctors then undertook a series of tests on the abscess, which was on her right breast, and was diagnose with a bacterial infection called necrotising fasciitis.
She said: “I just knew something wasn’t right and so I took myself to A&E, I was in so much pain. When I walked in the nurse looked at me and rushed me straight though.
“I was totally grey in the face. It was really scary. They did lots of tests and pumped me with medicine and pain relief, but nothing was helping. The doctors were stumped for a few days, I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Sylvia spent two days in Gilbert Bain Hospital and was then flown by coast guard helicopter and prepped for surgery to remove the abscess at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, on May 5, 2022.
She was told her organs were shutting down and had to undergo surgery. She was placed into an induced coma for eight days and woke to some of her breast removed and a 15 inch scar from her arm to her ribs.
Sylvia said: “I came very close to not surviving it at all so I’m very grateful indeed. It’s scary to think this was caused by my bra. I’ve swapped to a different style now without underwiring just in case.”
She said having part of her breast removed is “hard” as “it doesn’t always look very nice, especially in summery dresses” but overall she said “the main thing is that I’m alive and here to tell the tale.”
Since her recovery, Sylvia has returned to work and is determined to raise awareness about necrotising fasciitis. She organised a fundraising session at the local agricultural auction, raising £2,000 for the Lee Spark Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting those affected by the disease.
She said: “I don’t always feel my best now in certain clothes as there’s a lot of boob missing, things don’t hang quite right. But I’m so glad I’m alive after nearly not making it, I force myself to think positively.
“I’ve totally chucked bras with underwire, although we don’t know for sure, I’m certain that’s what caused this whole thing. It’s just not worth the risk.”
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
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