Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital. Photo: www.freeweb.com.

When Waclaw Tyszkiewicz checked himself into the Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital in Ontario, Canada recently with an infection in his foot that was spreading to his right leg, he was told the leg would need amputation in order to save his life.

That was until Rose Raizman, an Israeli and Canadian trained nurse at the hospital recommended an unconventional treatment – pouring maggots onto the infection.

“We were pretty concerned about his leg,” she said.

Raizman consulted with a doctor at the hospital and the two of them decided that medical maggots were the only chance to save Mr. Tyzskiewicz’s leg.

Monarch Labs, based in California (a rare supplier of medical maggots to U.S. and Canadian medical facilities) shipped the flesh eating pests to the hospital, and due to the animals’ short life span, the treatment had to be applied within 24 hours of being received.

“At night I (could) feel them bite me,” Tyszkiewicz said. “It was a little bit bad, but what can you do?”

The treatment was successful, saving the leg, however Tyzskiewicz did lose one toe.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Every time I see Rose I say thanks, thanks, thanks, a million times thanks.