Man may lose arms, legs to spider bite

Doctors say that a man who has been in a Melbourne Hospital since February after losing both legs to flesh necrosis may have been bitten by a spider.

Terry Pareja, who is from the Philippines and was visiting family in Australia, is now facing possible amputation of both of his arms, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Pareja said he has no memory of being bitten by a white-tailed spider, but his brother-in-law Ray Ogleby told the news outlet that the toxicology report found he may have been.

Ogleby said that Pareja noticed his foot began swelling on Feb. 25. He went to the doctor on Feb. 27.

"He [could] hardly walk on Saturday and on Sunday [his leg] started to turn black," Ray Ogleby, Pareja's brother-in-law, told 3AW. "There's no doctor service in Birchip on Saturday and Sunday so he waited until Monday."

Ogleby's daughter, Jeffmarey Pareja, started a GoFundMe page. She said in an update that her father's kidneys are failing, and doctors have not been able to eradicate the bacteria from his arms.

It could take 18 more months before Pareja is released, and the family is seeking $30,000 to cover medical costs.