OREGON, USA — A woman set to get married in less than a week is now in the hospital after being diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease after she spent her bachelorette weekend at a resort.
KGW spoke to 55-year-old Kristin Andrus’ fiancé, David Demuth, who said she got sick after getting into a hot tub. Since last week, she has been on a ventilator fighting for her life and remains in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit).
Demuth said he was supposed to be making final preparations for his wedding that was planned for this upcoming weekend. Instead, he's been standing by his soon-to-be wife’s bedside in the hospital.
"It tears me up because when I go to the hospital now it’s not her; it’s hard to see," Demuth said.
Andrus got sick after going to a resort for her bachelorette party with her friends earlier this month. Just days after getting back is when she got sick. At first, doctors thought she had the flu and when she didn’t get any better they couldn’t figure it out.
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Demuth was told by doctors that his fiancé came down with Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia. KGW is not naming the resort since it has not yet been determined if that is where Andrus contracted the disease, but Demuth said Andrus spent a lot of time in a hot tub at the resort.
"When they opened the hot tub up all of the girls were like, 'That smells funny, it’s kind of musty and moldy smelling.' They didn’t think there was any chlorine in it," Demuth said.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, people can catch Legionnaires' disease from breathing mist or vapor that has been contaminated with bacteria. One example might be from breathing from a spa or a hot tub that hasn’t been properly cleaned.
Demuth knows this: his fiancé will be in the hospital for weeks according to doctors. He was told she could be hospitalized for at least a month. Demuth said Andrus did make some small progress over the past couple of days.