An extreme case of meningitis may have cost Mark Mather his limbs, but it has done nothing to stop his sense of humor.
Mather’s wit and positive attitude were on display today at Denver’s Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center where he is recovering from a rare and dangerous form of meningitis called Meningococcemia that required the amputation of his lower arms and legs.
“To quote the movie ‘Joe Dirt,’ ‘I’ve got to keep on keeping on,”‘ said Mather, a 20-year-old Centennial resident and former Metropolitan State College student. “Anger and pity is not going to get me anywhere, so why do it?”
Doctors who have performed multiple operations on Mather since May 31st said his recovery has been remarkable.
“This is a bad injury,” said Dr.Ronald Hugate . “It could easily have taken his life.”
Mather’s first symptoms appeared May 8 as a simple sore throat. The disease steadily worsened over the month, eventually requiring amputations to remove infections from his limbs.
Mather, his family and doctors decided to hold a press conference in hope of spreading the word about vaccinations available to prevent meningitis.
“I want to spread the message,” Mather said. “I wouldn’t want any of my friends to get (meningitis).”
Staff writer JP Eichmiller can be reached at 303-820-1201 or at jeichmiller@denverpost.com.
