A student tragically had to undergo limb amputations after consuming his roommate's leftover noodles. In what was described as a rare and freak incident, the student had no known allergies, was fully vaccinated during childhood, was not a heavy drinker, smoked marijuana daily, and went through two packs of cigarettes a week.

Less than a day after eating the food that had been left in the fridge overnight, he became gravely ill.

As detailed in a dramatized video, the student developed several severe health complications, eventually leading to the amputation of all his limbs, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The report explains that shortly after eating the meal, the student—referred to as ‘JC’—experienced a dangerously high temperature, a pulse rate of 166 beats per minute, and had to be sedated. His condition deteriorated so rapidly that he was airlifted to the intensive care unit of another hospital for further treatment.

According to the report, the student was healthy until 20 hours before hospitalization when he developed severe abdominal pain and nausea after eating leftover rice, chicken, and lo mein from a restaurant meal. Five hours before admission, his skin began to develop purplish discoloration, prompting a friend to take him to the emergency room.

Dr. Bernard, in a YouTube video, explained that JC’s symptoms likely stemmed from an aggressive bacterial infection. Within 24 hours of eating the food, his kidneys failed, and his blood began clotting. Blood tests revealed that he had Neisseria meningitidis in his bloodstream, which causes meningococcaemia—a severe blood infection.

Dr. Bernard explained how the body’s immune response to the bacteria caused widespread blood vessel dilation, leading to low blood pressure and preventing oxygen from reaching vital organs. Clots began forming in small blood vessels, cutting off circulation to his hands and feet, which became cold and oxygen-starved.

The lack of oxygen caused tissue death, a condition known as Purpura fulminans. While JC eventually stabilized, gangrene had developed on his fingers and legs, leading to the amputation of all 10 fingers and both legs below the knee.

It was later discovered that his roommate had vomited after eating part of the meal the night before, though JC was unaware. Additionally, JC had received the first dose of the meningococcal vaccine before middle school but had missed the recommended booster shot at age 16. While it’s believed that the contaminated food led to the infection, the exact cause remains unknown, with Dr. Bernard calling it a "freak accident."