‘Not Alone Anymore’

While his wife lay near death from the “flesh-eating bacteria,” Roberto Serrano feared he and his three boys were alone, facing an uncertain future.

He soon learned how wrong he was.

While his wife, Ana Maria Garcia, continued a recovery her doctors called miraculous, Serrano met with Anaheim firefighters and Anaheim Area Credit Union workers Friday to collect the car, clothes, toys and thousands of dollars in donations sent by hundreds of well-wishers from throughout Orange County and beyond.

“He honestly believed he was going to have to handle this himself,” said Richard Chavez, president of the Anaheim Firefighters Assn. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m really impressed and proud of the community.”

With Chavez translating, Serrano said Friday, “All these people have been helping me. Everywhere I go they ask about my wife, and they want to help. I’m not alone anymore.”

What started as a sprained ankle Feb. 8 turned into an infection that ravaged Garcia’s body. The bacteria, a virulent form of the microbe that causes strep throat, raced through her body and forced doctors at Anaheim Memorial Medical Center to amputate her legs and part of her right hand to stop the advance of the disease.

The rare bacteria, streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis, normally attack a wound or injury and spread at a frightening pace, destroying tissue.

“It’s almost always fatal when it is this extensive,” said Mary Ann Adams, infection control coordinator at Anaheim Memorial. “The first 48 hours, the doctors were saying they did not expect her to live.”

But after aggressive antibiotic treatment and seven surgeries to remove infected tissue, the bacteria is gone from Garcia’s body, and Friday she was moved out of intensive care, Adams said.

“Her vital signs are stable,” she said. “Providing we can prevent infections and she continues to improve, her outlook is very good.”

When Chavez visited the 30-year-old woman recently, she told him, “I’m very tranquil about the whole thing. I just want to go home and see my kids.”

“She’s probably one of the most humble, sweetest people,” said Chavez, who was one of the paramedics who took her to the hospital last week. “And she’s very strong.”

But she faces weeks more in the hospital, then extensive physical therapy, hospital officials said.

Even before they knew how dire Garcia’s condition was, Anaheim paramedics decided to help when they saw the family’s one-room apartment, Chavez said.

Serrano and Garcia moved from Mexico to Anaheim seven years ago with few belongings, and they have modest means to raise their sons, Fidel, 8, Daniel, 6, and Roberto, 2.

The $500 trust fund the firefighters started has grown to thousands, including a $2,500 donation from the Anaheim Memorial Foundation, the hospital’s fund-raising arm. A South County couple donated a hospital bed, and another family donated a green 1972 Pontiac so Serrano will be able to take his wife for treatments.

Also among the gifts Serrano received Friday at the credit union was a 3-inch binder stuffed with greeting cards, personal notes and children’s drawings all expressing their concerns for Garcia and her family. “I hope you get well,” read one, scrawled in a child’s handwriting. “I hope you can find comfort in knowing many people are praying for you as you fight a courageous battle,” another read. “Today is my birthday. I am delighted to give this gift to the Garcia family rather than spend it on myself,” read a third.

“He’s very thankful for the community helping him through a very difficult time,” Chavez said, again translating for Serrano. “He had no expectation of this.”

Serrano knows he and his children face a daunting responsibility to help Garcia with her recovery, but they are looking forward to getting her home.

“He’s got an inner strength that does not allow the sadness of the situation to get to him,” Chavez said. “Every day he gets up and thinks how to get through this thing. His goal is to do the best he possibly can for his family.”

Donations can be made to the Anaheim Firefighters in Trust for Ana Maria Garcia, Anaheim Area Credit Union, 2390 E. Orangewood Ave., Suite 106, Anaheim, CA 92806.

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Steve Carney can be reached at (714) 966-7890. His e-mail address is steve.carney@latimes.com