Memoir
Date Published: February 14, 2026
Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is a powerful and deeply personal medical memoir that chronicles the extraordinary survival of physician Craig H. Collison, M.D., who, at the height of his medical training, was suddenly struck by a devastating case of necrotizing fasciitis-commonly known as "flesh-eating bacteria."
Told through the rare dual lens of doctor and patient, this gripping narrative offers a day-by-day account of emergency surgeries, intensive care, organ failure, and prolonged rehabilitation.
Interwoven throughout the story are intimate bedside journal entries written by Collison's wife, family, and friends-capturing raw fear, unwavering love, and the strength of a community united by hope.
Beyond the medical drama, Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is a testimony to faith, perseverance, and the indomitable human spirit. Biblical reflections accompany the journey, offering spiritual insight and comfort during moments of despair and uncertainty. The book also includes a patient- and family-focused appendix, making it both a compelling memoir and a meaningful resource for those navigating critical illness.
As Dr. Goldstein opened up my wounds and learned the
horrible truth, there was no time to lose. The only effective treatment for
necrotizing fasciitis and myositis is surgical removal of the infected and
necrotic tissue. The tissue removal needs to get ahead of the bacteria in order
to stop the progression of destruction. For the next 20 hours, Dr. Goldstein
and other surgeons did just that, desperately trying to get ahead of the
infection while I still had enough tissue to survive. Antibiotics by themselves
are ineffective in treating necrotizing fasciitis, but are used as an adjunct
to the crucial debridement. The affected tissues must be surgically cut away
for there to be any hope of surviving the “flesh-eating” bacteria.
With my survival hanging in the balance, the surgeons
started removing tissue near my posterior left axilla. They kept dissecting
through layers of skin, nerves, blood vessels, fat and even muscle. As they
described it, the infection progressed so fast that they could see the
advancement “right before their eyes.” Similar to removing a tumor, the goal of
the surgery was to cut away all the affected tissue until normal, healthy
tissue was reached on all the borders. Obviously, everything that was healthy
and could be saved was beneficial to me long-term, but they had to get the dead
infected tissue completely removed or I was a goner. The surgeons followed the
progression of the infection down my left side from the left armpit, in some
areas from my sternum all the way around to my spine. As the disease spread
down my left flank, the surgeons found the deadly bacteria burrowing across my
stomach below the belly button. This is when Dr. Goldstein called in an
abdominal specialist, Dr. Shenk, to help as they didn’t know how far or how
deep the infection would invade. Dr. Shenk was a great help, keeping them
working fast as the infection continued around to a large patch on my right
flank. For brief breaks, the surgeons would leave the operating room to update
Michelle and the rest of my family and to take a quick breather. They couldn’t
leave the operating room for long though, they had to keep working as the
“flesh-eating” bacteria continued to advance.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I
am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee.”
As the day went on, the despair and severity of my
catastrophic illness really hit home for those around me. My parents arrived
from Mississippi mid-afternoon on Easter, still unsure of how or what was
really going on. Residents and faculty from Rainbow were notified of the
situation and began arriving to provide any support they could. As the surgery
stretched into the evening hours Easter Sunday night, word came from the
operating room. While the infection had been previously only traveling down
away from my armpit, the surgeons suddenly found that it was spreading upwards
into my neck. This was such devastating news, with the frightening thought of
my neck and possibly my head and face being eaten alive. Would my face be
totally disfigured as the bacteria showed me no mercy?
With no choice but to keep going, the surgeons called for an ear, nose and throat doctor to help with the neck dissection. The stakes were so high as they worked feverishly to save my head and neck. Despair mounted when news of the spread into my neck came into the ICU waiting room. Those present spontaneously gathered together in a circle. Through the tears and fear of what was to come, everyone prayed, fervently asking for a miracle. Michelle describes the incredible power and strength everyone took away from that circle. Unable to do anything to directly save me, they all lifted me up. They called on the Spirit, the God of mercy to save me. Not long after this circle time, word again came from the operating room that the progression had been stopped and my face and head had been spared. The doctors had cut away a great deal of soft tissue, but all the crucial components of my neck had been saved. The prayers from that circle of family and friends were directly answered, the Spirit was alive and working hard on my behalf. I still had a fighting chance and would live to see another day.
“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
After a staggering amount of surgery to remove the infected
tissue, the team felt confident that the progression had finally been stopped.
I had survived 20 hours of surgery, anesthesia, blood loss and infection.
Everyone was physically and emotionally drained, but relieved in a sense that I
had lived through such an ordeal. The first battle of what was to be a long war
had been won. The losses were great. My flesh, ravaged by infection and
surgery, was a mere semblance of what it was. But making it through to this
point was such a miracle that these defects seemed almost insignificant, a
small price to pay for my life.
Craig H. Collison, MD grew up in central Pennsylvania, graduating from State College High School. He earned an engineering degree from Penn State University and went on to medical school at Wake Forest University. He then did his Pediatrics training at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, part of Case Western Reserve University. In the last months of his residency training, he had a surgery to remove a lipoma that got super-infected, causing necrotizing fasciitis and myositis (flesh-eating bacteria). The book "Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit" chronicles this illness and how faith in God and an incredible health team helped Craig and his family through the most difficult challenge of his life.
After many months in the hospital, he and his family then returned home to central Pennsylvania to work as a general Pediatrician with Centre Medical and Surgical Associates and Mount Nittany Medical Center, now combined as the Mount Nittany Health System. He lives with his wife, Michelle, his children, Taylor, Chase, Caroline and Lydia, and their dogs, Penny and Josie, in “The Simon Pickel House.” This 1833 stone house resides in the small village of Madisonburg, part of the Penns Valley area. He recently moved his practice to Mount Nittany Physician Group - Penns Valley to be closer to home and really take care of children in the Penns Valley area. His interests outside work include football, volleyball, golf, playing guitar and, most importantly, being an involved husband and dad.
