Extra “My aviation knowledge was so limited I had no idea small airplanes even existed and I never thought anyone could just go learn to fly I had no idea you could just fly for fun.” @planegirl, @bayflight, StevieTriesenberg Stephanie “Stevie” Triesenberg— @planegirl—commands a remarkable presence She has more than 1.3 million followers and has amassed that following in less than three years since getting her pilot certificate Watch 54 seconds of video during which Triesenberg explains the merits of GoPro cameras and how to use them Nervous about your own radio voice when speaking with ATC Watch @planegirl talk to ATC in a flight from her home base in Ann Arbor She peppers her fast delivery with admonishments and advice: “Never let filming compromise safety,” she tells her viewers in her radio video “Have a good one,” she repeatedly says to ATC as she crosses the country in her 1952 V-tail Bonanza on her way to Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) She looks as young as she is—and these video shorts are uncompromisingly close up—but in spite of her age she’s an accomplished pilot Her YouTube interview with FAA Administrator Steve Dickson earlier this year is entertaining but all the more interesting and evocative because of how articulate she is Watching her explain the fuel system on her Bonanza to Dickson is informative but more fun because you get the sense that she’s explaining something that maybe he knows a lot less about than she Triesenberg is a commercial pilot and CFI and works full-time as a mobile software engineer “Every flight is a learning experience,” she says encouraging her followers to have fun while exposing them to the world of aviation There are more than 50 videos on her TikTok account [email protected] 800.872.2672 AOPA is so passionate about supporting flight schools that we're offering you free countertop displays filled with our annual special issue This beginning pilots' resource guide explains what you can expect from your introductory flight through initial training—and how to turn your dream of flying into reality Get instant access to Flight Training's special issue titled You Can Fly: Your Path to Become a Pilot This beginning pilots' resource guide explains what you can expect from your introductory flight through initial training— and how to turn your dream of flying into reality Please review AOPA’s privacy policy to learn more about how your information is used Memorial services will be held at 2:00PM Tuesday at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church with the Reverend Dr and the Reverend Jason Blankenship officiating 2019 from 5:00PM-7:00PM at Hart’s at the Cupola and following the service in the fellowship hall.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Pine Pointe Hospice GA 31210; or Mulberry Street United Methodist Church Paul was a faithful member of Mulberry Street United Methodist Church and the Daughtry Sunday School Class Michigan to the late Dick and Sadie Triesenberg.  He earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and an associate degree in Nursing from Middle Georgia State University.  He moved to Georgia in 1976.  He worked for Macon Northside Hospital He had a great interest in World War II history Paul loved the Atlanta Braves and spending time with his grandchildren He is predeceased by his brother and sister-in-law David and Linda Triesenberg; and his sister-in-law Nelleatha “Lee” Triesenberg of Macon; Son Kendra Triesenberg of Macon; grandchildren Florida;  nieces and nephews,  Todd Arizona; numerous great nieces and nephews; and beloved dogs and best friends Please visit www.hartsmort.com to express condolences Hart’s Mortuary and Cremation Center at the Cupola Mulberry Street United Methodist ChurchP.O. Box 149, Macon GA 31202Tel: 1-478-745-8601Web: https://www.mulberrymethodist.org/ Atrium Health Navicent Hospice Pine Pointe6261 Peake Rd, Macon GA 31210Tel: 1-478-633-5660Web: https://www.navicenthealth.org/service-center/pine-pointe-hospice-navicent-health# I left behind the greatest flying club I’ve ever known It had the most extensive fleet of any in the region ranging from Cessna 152s to 182s and topped off with a Beechcraft Debonair a less-expensive version of the legendary Beechcraft Bonanza As a newly-minted 19-year old private pilot and club member it felt odd to be part owner of seven airplanes yet not permitted to rent a Ford Aspire worth $9,000 N8999M was leagues above any of the typical Cessnas or Pipers on the field Compared with other types that made you feel like you’re sitting on the floor The beefy yoke and pedals felt as though they were all machined out of solid blocks of aluminum and they rolled through their travel so smoothly you couldn’t help but envision the perfectly lubricated bearings guiding them along I wasn’t the only one enchanted by the feel of that airplane I crossed paths with a current member of that club who fell even more deeply into love with it that when she decided to purchase her first airplane more basic types and bought her very own Bonanza vintage Bonanza as one’s first airplane is certainly unconventional and the general aviation community seems split on the matter One camp thinks that ownership should begin with a less-expensive type that’s easy to fly and maintain; a stepping stone toward one’s longer-term The other camp firmly believes a buyer should buy his or her last airplane first reasoning that wading through transitory types is an unnecessarily expensive and lengthy process This was the camp to which Stevie Triesenberg belonged Despite having only logged about 500 hours she had been working as a CFI for long enough to have experienced most of the typical Cessnas and Pipers While she enjoyed and respected those types the impression left by the classy Beechcraft was simply too intoxicating to ignore It didn’t take long before she began a five-month process of learning as much as possible about Bonanzas and finding the perfect example to purchase Having helped the flying club shop for 172s Stevie had learned that nice examples routinely sell for around $80,000 – so when she discovered that early basic Bonanzas can be had for as little as $40,000-$60,000 high-performance aircraft are obviously more expensive to fly and maintain and 70-year-old airplanes come with their own costly concerns but when those expenses can be partially offset by a lower acquisition price Her obsession became bolstered by motivation and she dove into all the resources she could find soaking up as much information as possible She joined all the Bonanza clubs and online forums posting questions of her own and sifting through those submitted by others Her constant monitoring of the classifieds revealed multiple Bonanzas with potential they either proved to be mechanically unsound or had been purchased literally minutes before her inquiries she encountered N5921C—a 1952 C35 Bonanza that appeared to have been well-maintained and cared for The paint was tasteful and in decent shape The panel was decidedly low-tech with instrumentation as old as the airframe Stevie wasted no time in scheduling a pre-purchase inspection and was soon flying her new pride and joy around the Midwest flying to various places across the Midwest and also to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2021 the airplane was down for maintenance a few times primarily because of issues attributable to the airplane being an older model with some difficult-to-find parts it needed a very hard-to-find replacement bearing She spent quite a bit of time tracking one down and waiting for her phone calls to be returned before finally finding one…for $2,000 Her airplane was down for about two months as a result She was grounded for another month when two cylinders needed to be replaced as cylinders for that particular engine are challenging to source and eventually located what she believes were the last two factory-new cylinders in the country for a Continental E-225-8 engine her maintenance struggles proved to be more attributable to the relative age and rarity of the parts as opposed to the airplane being complex or high-performance what tips would she have for others interested in a high-performance or complex single as their first airplane After determining which type you’re most interested in and owner’s groups associated with that type Ask questions and browse through the questions others have asked in the archives It’s possible to learn every lesson yourself but it’s cheaper and easier to learn from the lessons of others Always invest in a very thorough pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic familiar with the type This is doubly important with regard to a complex type as there will naturally be more things to inspect More things to inspect also means more potential deal-breakers – issues that may render the airplane not worth pursuing Spend extra time and diligence going through the aircraft and engine logbooks a missing logbook with five years of maintenance unaccounted for might seem like nothing more than a nuisance But one of those pages might contain proof that a costly airworthiness directive has been complied with and having to address that after the fact could necessitate another large expenditure to keep the airplane legal and won’t happen instantaneously…nor do you want it to thoroughness pays off…and thoroughness takes time Determine the “worst case” in terms of ongoing maintenance expenses This doesn’t mean we have to anticipate an engine replacement every year But it does mean that it would be wise to survey owners determine the upper end of their typical annual inspections Exercise discipline and respect the airplane This is one of the most critical aspects of choosing a more advanced type as a first airplane and the mentality that the airplane’s capability can substitute a pilot’s lack of experience is a dangerous one Despite being an instrument-rated flight instructor herself Stevie seeked out specialized instruction from another CFI with extensive Bonanza experience They worked through many drills specifically tailored to the type including the emergency gear extension process and steep spiral recovery her nervousness was replaced with confidence and she now greatly enjoys flying the airplane Get involved in the community of type owners Participate in their dedicated online forums and meet up with a member or two once in a while to swap morsels of wisdom over breakfast In addition to learning more about the complexities of your airplane this kind of networking also helps the group to identify and address emerging maintenance concerns that arise from any aging airframe before they become a hazard Stevie’s ownership experience has thus far proven to be an enjoyable one she has encountered challenges along the way she has managed to make her Bonanza a great first airplane Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur. You can email Jason at editorial@flying.media with any questions or comments you have I stood on the edge of the border town in the shadow of a 12th-century castle high on a hill I was sandwiched between the craggy peaks of 7,600-foot mountains in front of me and 7,200-foot peaks behind me This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing "Everyone knows everyone – it's like one big family!" It was hard to doubt Erik the taxi driver's words as we descended the mountain speeding through fog so thick it felt like the world existed in the space of a few feet who owned the bar that bore his name next to the train station in Schaan where we'd met who worked at Hotel Oberland where we'd just departed and had come over from South America more than a decade ago That makes it not only one of the smallest countries in Europe but one of the smallest in the world.  according to official government statistics Swiss troops seem to have a habit of getting lost in the woods and accidentally invading Liechtenstein.  One of the most "serious" recent incidents occurred in 2007 when about 170 Swiss soldiers on a training exercise ventured about a mile into Liechtenstein before realizing they'd invaded A statement from the government that said "these things happen." As Liechtenstein government spokeswoman Gerlinde Manz-Christ told ABC News at the time: "It has happened before I was sold before I'd even finished reading my first article about Liechtenstein anyway: I'm on a quest to one day visit every country in the world it really was like traveling through a painting Hardly anyone else got on the train at the small station in Buchs — and no one else did other than myself at the even smaller station in Vaduz and one of Liechtenstein's largest cities (even though it has a population of only about 5,000 people) I waited at the train station for about 30 minutes then headed into a bar next door a kind man named Miran who I later found out was originally from Syria Erik and I were heading higher up into the mountains Located in a mountainside village called Triesenberg, I must admit that out of the roughly 90 countries I've been to so far, I've never before stayed at a hotel where check-in and check-out were done completely by machine like at Hotel Oberland While the touchscreen machine was quick and easy to use I missed chatting with hotel staff — especially in a destination as mysterious as Liechtenstein Narrow enough that the palms of my hands could easily press up against opposite walls if I stretched my arms out the wood-floored room had a coziness about it — and plenty of space to store the two suitcases and backpack I'd been carrying with me for days that constituted my entire life's possessions Due in no small part to about 15 hours of traveling in one day — and several long days of traveling by rail before that — I slept more soundly than I had in a while double-blanketed bed was probably a factor it was all self-serve — including the fancy coffee machine which could make everything from lattes and espressos to mochas and cozy nooks and crannies all around — as I sat at one of the small wood tables to eat I felt more like I was having breakfast back on my parents' farm in the perpetually green I don't know if I've ever been so content during a single meal I stepped outside in about half a dozen layers of long-sleeved clothing (Dubai's heat really had spoiled me) They curled and billowed and spread into all manner of fantastical shapes rays of light from the sun would illuminate the scene giving the cloudy sea a sort of inner glow my first thoughts of the persistent fog was how similar it was to its description in some of my favorite gothic novels like Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre," Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," Bram Stoker's "Dracula," or even Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde."  it was only possible to see about the same distance as a car is long — the fog was that thick You could be forgiven for thinking that they had somehow slipped through a crack in space-time — that is light brown cows with bells hanging from their necks like I did far more regularly than I saw other people All the green and farmland really did feel a lot like where I grew up — though a fair bit foggier but not as cold as I feared it might be for being high up in the mountains in autumn Liechtenstein really did feel like a real-life version of the famous musical "Cute" really was one of the best words to describe Vaduz where the tallest buildings seemed to be the steeples and spires of medieval churches it's the kind of place where — as Erik said — almost everyone knows each other Dating to the 12th century people have been regularly living in Vaduz Castle since about 1287 the Prince Regent of Liechtenstein (its monarch and head of state) it has served as the home of Prince Regents for centuries Public tours of the inside of the castle are not available but it is possible to walk around the beautiful wooded grounds and admire the stone battlements there were literally no other tourists around at all Surrounding Vaduz Castle were what I dubbed "Fairytale Woods" — because a fairytale was exactly what they reminded me of I could hear various birds and woodland creatures all around I didn't see or hear another person at all Even though I'd barely been in Liechtenstein for a day it felt like I'd been in the country a lot longer — time seemed to have little meaning amid such serene surroundings it was a worry I might get stuck in the mountains and not be able to find my way back in this remote place Was it even possible for bad things to happen in such a lovely place only "a few chairs in a garden restaurant" were damaged in the incident It was easy to follow the elderly local women's instructions relayed with wide smiles in the unique Liechtenstein dialect of German (German is Liechtenstein's official language and returned to the Hotel Oberland about an hour later — just as dusk was making it even harder to see what was in front of me like being wrapped in a cozy blanket that traveled with you wherever you went After taking trains from Buchs, to Sargans, to Zürich, and to Paris, and finally underneath the English Channel to the UK on the Eurostar I went to sleep in London barely 12 hours after waking up in Liechtenstein From pastoral peacefulness and the mooing of cows to the bright big city lights and constant din of planes and automobiles: it was as if I'd traveled between two entirely different worlds — even though it was only a little more than 650 miles between Liechtenstein and London or less than the distance from New York City to Chicago (which is about 790 miles by car) all the farm animals: Liechtenstein had made an amazingly strong impression and smells searing themselves into my memory like the grilled sausages that seemed to be a staple at every restaurant and cafe The word "getaway" describes Liechtenstein well The only question is how long it will remain unspoiled.  Another thing that hopefully won't change is just how welcoming the people in Liechtenstein are — it may not be for everyone but there's certainly a joy to visit somewhere for the first time and be made to feel like family I went to Europe's least-visited country, and discovered San Marino is just as beautiful as Tuscany — but without the crowds I spent 8 days taking trains across Europe for under $500. Not only was it cheaper than some flights, it was the adventure of a lifetime I visited Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, and the lack of selfie-snappers gave me hope for the future of travel I stayed in the hotel room where 'Murder on the Orient Express' was written and searched for the secret notebook apparently hidden there The 22-year-old “@PlaneGirl” had such limited exposure to aviation that she was amazed by a “friend of a friend’s” post that he was learning to fly “I did not realize there were these small aircraft and had no idea you could just fly for fun,” she said She looked at flight schools in the Ann Arbor area where she was in engineering school and whipped through all of her certificates in less than two years She’s now a commercial pilot and CFI and the owner of a 1952 Beechcraft Bonanza C35 she works full-time as a mobile software engineer I saw a photo of someone with a small airplane on my Instagram explore page I had no idea that small airplanes even existed and I never thought you could just go learn to fly Learning to fly was always in the back of my head until the summer of 2018 I had an engineering internship that allowed me to fund my training and decided to give it a go I fell in love with flying and the rest is history I was also a full-time student at the University of Michigan College of Engineering studying computer science The biggest challenge throughout all my training was managing my schoolwork and flying at the same time I had a lot of early mornings at the airport What is your favorite aviation-related activity My absolute favorite thing to do is to hop in an airplane with friends and go get breakfast at the Tin Goose Diner at PCW [Erie-Ottawa International Airport in Port Clinton There’s nothing better than sharing aviation with other people I’m really looking forward to going to fly-ins and airshows in the future; I love meeting people in the aviation community.  During training it can be easy to get frustrated when you’re stuck on one topic or maneuver Remember to look back at how far you’ve already come and how much progress you’ve made you’ve already taken the most important step: getting started even the flights to go get breakfast or to meet up with friends [email protected] The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Where a border should be between the two Alpine nations there is only a footbridge which may explain why the Swiss military made its way into the minuscule 23-kilometre-long principality with such ease The first incident in the ‘oops…sorry’ category happened in 1985 During a training exercise in the proper use of ground-to-air-missiles Swiss artillery launched rockets straight into Liechtenstein igniting a massive forest fire along with a diplomatic snafu At first the Swiss claimed that strong winds which were blowing in the region on that day the government paid several million francs for damages inflicted on Liechtenstein’s forests Army recruits were on maneuvers when they received orders to set up an observation post in Triesenberg until local residents started to ask what the Swiss military unit was doing in their town It was only then that the recruits — and their commanders — realised that Triesenberg is located in Liechtenstein when 170 troops armed with rifles (but apparently not with a GPS) stumbled into Liechtenstein They marched on for more than a kilometre until someone exclaimed At this point the soldiers turned around and hot-footed it back home it is difficult to tell Switzerland apart from Liechtenstein Rural areas in both countries look the same and people in both nations speak the same Swiss German dialect and use Swiss franc as their currency Imagine how much more complicated it is to distinguish one country from another when it’s dark and raining the incident did not have any political repercussions “It’s not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something” Liechtenstein’s spokesman for the Interior no doubt referring to the two previous episodes when the mighty Swiss army came uninvited READ MORE: Swiss history: How the Swiss army refused to decommission its pigeons Please log in here to leave a comment .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Julie Mack | special to MLiveDECATUR, MI -- Libby Godwin first met George Fusko in 2001 when she became Decatur Public Schools superintendent just as Fusko was retiring as a Decatur teacher and joining the school board as a trustee George Fusko shows off a cat skeleton that was reassembled by some of his Decatur High School students after they dissected it and bleached its bones for a class assignment The photo was taken after Fusko was named one of the top three high school science teachers in Michigan " 'If there's something you do that I don't like I'm going to tell you,' " Fusko told Godwin " 'If you do something I like "He said what he meant and he meant what he said," Godwin said Monday but sometimes it was something that had to be said Fusko died Saturday at age 72 after a long illness Godwin said the Decatur community was mourning a man who was a standout science teacher for more than three decades then spent more than a decade on the school board "He was just a great guy," Godwin said Fusko was still a Decatur school trustee at the time of his death but we were voting on a new (teachers) contract and I think he wanted to be there for that," she said and graduated from Lakeshore High School in 1959 and from University of Montana in 1963 Fusko started as a science teacher at Decatur High School in 1969 The couple had three children and five grandchildren "I hear the trip to the Amazon was a wild adventure," Godwin said "He really made opportunities for a lot of kids "He really did dedicate his life to students," she said "He would bring us in eggs," Godwin said Fusko is survived by his children: Michael (Jennifer) Fusko of Paw Paw Elizabeth (Tom) Triesenberg of Rockford and Lianna (Shawn) McLeese of Ann Arbor; five grandchildren -- Ryen and Kaitlynne Fusko and Eoin McLeese; two sisters --JoAnn VanderWeele of Mears and Kathleen (Tod) Gerard of Muskegon; and one sister-in-law: Maryl (David) Ritsema of Muskegon Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices This article was published more than 7 years ago There's no sign on the bridge over the Rhine from Switzerland that says "Welcome to Liechtenstein" – or if there is This is an understated country in every way: tiny and beautiful is surrounded by Austria to the east and Switzerland to the everywhere else which are the only European countries smaller in size and a prince and princess who live in a castle overlooking the capital We drove past the castle because we were following signs to our hotel and got lost on the narrow and steeply winding road the way was closed for repairs and we asked for directions from some local hikers; in Liechtenstein everyone seems to speak English and everyone knows where everything is our hotel was well-known in Liechtenstein's capital 29-room family-run four-star hotel that just happens to be home to a Michelin-starred restaurant you ate at the Restaurant Marée?" we were asked the next day by several curious locals They knew of the Sonnenhof because they'd all eaten there – Liechtenstein is one of the wealthiest countries in the world assured by a near-zero unemployment rate and a prosperous banking economy tied directly to the Swiss franc and although our lovely hotel was expensive (its smallest and a two-course dinner at the Marée is around $100 a person the country is no more costly to visit than Switzerland or Austria Most of Liechtenstein's 37,000 people live in the Rhine valley there was snow on the highest of the peaks and it was easy to see why alpine skiing is such a major winter draw the entire country seems picture-postcard pretty The cows really do have bells around their necks If Switzerland has a reputation for compact neat-as-a-pin-ness it surely learned how from its tiny neighbour organized by Toronto travel company Butterfield and Robinson BMW has long offered the option of collecting your new car at its head office in Munich driving it in Europe and then having it delivered to your local dealership in Canada The price is similar to buying it in Canada you'll have a nice car available to you at little cost Butterfield and Robinson now offers European tours to BMW customers combining this vacation opportunity with an off-the-rack or bespoke itinerary It doesn't take long to drive the 25-kilometre length of the country through the valley so everyone comes in from outside – usually Zurich which took us less than four hours on the high-speed Autobahn It takes considerably longer to drive the 12-kilometre width of the country because the few roads running east wiggle their way up into the mountains on steep asphalt that can deteriorate with a wrong turn into an unpaved driveway The ski and hiking resort of Malbun lies at the end 1,600 metres above sea level and more than a kilometre above the Rhine but we were running out of time for our visit and had to turn back at Triesenberg At least we could enjoy a panoramic view from there of the valley below There was a marker for Liechtenstein at the Swiss border to the south and we parked the car right on the international line for some photos was perched on its own hill just across the meadows It was near here in 2007 that the Swiss army accidentally invaded during a winter night exercise: 170 soldiers got lost and wandered across the border before realizing their mistake and retreating which is just as well because it has no army of its own That was probably one of the most exciting things to happen in the region in years Liechtenstein is proud of its peace and tranquillity There's no rush here and everything is well-ordered We got back into the car and drove to the opposite end of the country with stops at the renowned museum and art gallery in Vaduz there was a border post and a half-kilometre lineup of vehicles waiting to enter Liechtenstein but no delay at all to leave Maybe that's how they keep it so safe: Trust the neutral Swiss and their currency (wouldn't you?) but keep a polite watch on those Austrians Liechtenstein's found a formula for itself that works Toronto travel company Butterfield and Robinson has recently begun offering both off-the-rack and bespoke European tours to BMW customers: Its three organized tours all start in Munich and include a five-day drive through Prague to Vienna a six-day drive to Paris and a five-day drive through the Alps back to Munich but vary according to the standard of hotel requested every tour was customized in some way to fit the individual travellers The writer travelled as a guest of Butterfield and Robinson It did not review or approve this article \nA view of Rhine Valley from Triesenberg.\n \nVaduz Castle sits within the mountainous principality of Liechtenstein which is surrounded by Austria to the east and Switzerland elsewhere.\n \nBMW offers the option of collecting your new car in Munich and driving it around Europe before having it delivered to your local dealership in Canada.\n \nMost of Liechtenstein’s 37,000 residents live in the Rhine Valley which is flanked by high mountains on each side.\n .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Sue Thoms | sthoms1@mlive.comRelated story: Tips for recognizing flesh-eating bacteria infection GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- As Georgia graduate student Aimee Copeland's struggle against flesh-eating bacteria captures national attention it is putting a spotlight on a local woman's effort to raise awareness about the deadly infection Donna Batdorff, of Wyoming, helped form the National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation after surviving a life-and-death battle with the disease in 1996 The foundation has become a go-to source for journalists reporting on the case of 24-year-old Copeland right foot and both hands to deadly bacterial infection “We’ve had tons of media contacts and lots of requests for interviews in the past few weeks,” said Batdorff but that’s a terrible way to get awareness.” “We feel horrible for this beautiful young lady and her family We know she is just one of many (affected by this disease),” said Jacqueline Roemmele a New Jersey woman who co-founded the foundation with Battdorff She survived a bout of necrotizing fasciitis after a Cesarean section in 1993 Related story: Jury orders Spectrum Health to pay $750,000 in case of flesh-eating bacteria The women formed the foundation in 1997 because they were unable to find much information about necrotizing fasciitis that could be readily understood by non-medical experts Their goal is to educate doctors and patients about the importance of early detection and treatment It is usually caused by group A streptococcus bacteria that enter the body through a break in the skin The bacteria produce toxins that quickly destroy tissue – which is why it is often called a “flesh-eating” disease the infection started in a small cut on a finger of her right hand but she lost three fingers and some skin from her right arm Group A strep is the same form of bacteria that causes strep throat; however there are 60 to 80 different serotypes of group A strep It’s a bit of a mystery why certain people are susceptible to a necrotizing fasciitis infection an infectious disease specialist with Spectrum Health The theory is that it occurs in people who are temporary carriers of group A strep and who do not have antibodies to that particular strain The bacteria enter the body through trauma to the skin – which can be through a cut though it’s partly bad luck,” Triesenberg said Necrotizing fasciitis affects 500 to 1,500 people a year and kills about a quarter of them infectious disease specialists see about five to 10 cases a year Triesenberg said he is not aware of an increase in cases locally or nationally we do see a kind of cluster of cases,” he said it is treated with surgical debridement – the removal of dead or damaged tissue The patient also receives antibiotics to kill the bacteria and a separate antibiotic to decrease the production of toxins Some patients also are given human immunoglobulin an infection is treated with a more experimental approach In the 15 years since they launched the foundation the founders have received a steady stream of requests for information from all over the world – typically about 10 a month They often refer people seeking information to volunteers who live in their state But they plan to continue to educate others “Surviving the Flesh-Eating Bacteria,” 10 years ago and now they are working to release it as e-book They also are working on a new book that will cover developments in medical treatments and therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder The book also will include more stories of people affected by the disease “People seem to resonate with that,” Batdorff said And that is something a perspective that Batdorff and Roemmele are well equipped to understand and share “We don’t label ourselves as medical experts,” Batdorff said “We label ourselves as experiential experts.” Email Sue Thoms at sthoms1@mlive.com and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/suethoms \n m_gallery = \"flesh-eating_bacteria_survivor_donna_batdorff_\";\n m_gallery_id = \"10877530\";\n m_gallery_title = \"Flesh-eating bacteria survivor Donna Batdorff \";\n m_gallery_blog_id = \"4469\";\n m_gallery_creation_date = \"Tuesday 4:22 PM\";\n m_gallery_permalink = \"http://photos.mlive.com/4469/gallery/flesh-eating_bacteria_survivor_donna_batdorff_/index.html\";\n m_gallery_json = \"https://blog.mlive.com/photogallery/4469/10877530.json\";\n m_gallery_pagetype = \"embed\";\n m_gallery_type = \"photo\";\n <\/script>\n Gallery: Flesh-eating bacteria survivor Donna Batdorff