The Free Lance-Star, Jan. 2, 2020:

By Cathy Dyson

Quintin Beltran enters the room at a good clip, proudly showing off how well he’s walking.

He holds onto a cane for support because he’s still not used to this new version of himself.

The 60-year-old lost all the toes on both feet, and another 2 1/2 inches of flesh and bone from his left foot, after an insect no bigger than a pinhead changed every aspect of his life.

Beltran contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever after a bite from a common American dog tick in April. The devastation caused by the deadly disease and the side effects of powerful drugs—given when his organs started shutting down and death loomed—resulted in a loss of blood to his extremities. READ MORE.