A BERE Alston woman is hoping the New Year will herald a bright future, after a traumatic time fighting a deadly so-called ?flesh-eating? bug. Alison Bartlett, 38, thought little of a minor cut to her hand last May, remarking to her husband it felt ?a bit sore? after she had picked up her children from school. Yet within 24 hours she was in intensive care at Derriford Hospital, as staff battled to stop the spread of the A Strep bacteria which had developed into dangerous necrotizing fasciitis. Alison said: ?I?d woken in the night in so much pain, and by 7am I knew it must be something serious, my fingers had started to swell. ?I went down to Derriford and by 2pm I was in emergency surgery as they tried to save my hand ? if it had got into my lymphatic system it would have been curtains. ?The team in Derriford were brilliant, it?s actually a very rare condition and I was so lucky they got the consultant down to A and E to see me ? I didn?t even have time to ring my husband!? Necrotizing fasciitis is a bacterial infection which spreads incredibly quickly, destroying soft tissue at subcutaneous level. It is treated with antibiotics and aggressive removal of the affected tissue, which commonly involves amputation. Alison also had special treatment sessions at the Hyperbaric Medical Centre, next to Derriford Hospital. ?It was quite scarey at the time,? said Alison. ?They said there were two ways of stopping the disease, they could have chopped my hand or arm off, or intensely treating it with oxygen can kill it. ?They were playing Russian roulette a bit, they were trying to work out whether I?d be able to cope without my hand with two young children.? Alison was in intensive care for a week and faced daily surgery on her hand to cut away the diseased flesh. ?The bacteria ate part of my hand and my arm. I had a trench about two inches deep from the bottom of my wrist up to my right hand index finger and down the other side. Because it was so deep they couldn?t stitch it ? in September I had my finger amputated and I had to have skin grafts as well.? Alison was full of praise for the medical staff at Derriford and at Bere Alston Surgery who treated her over the months. ?Everyone has been absolutely fantastic,? she said. Now, apart from a little stiffness, she said her hand feels fine ? and she is looking forward to taking up the reins once more with the business she started up last spring, Tack 2 Go, selling horse tack around shows and point to point meetings in the area. ?We started the business in April last year and I caught the infection in May, so it?s taken a real hammering,? said Alison, who runs Tack 2 Go with Trish Milne, also of Bere Alston. Tack 2 Go will be at Kilworthy Point to Point on March 25.