Oregon man recovering from rare case of plague
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This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken July 6, 2012, at a hospital in Bend, Ore., shows Paul Gaylord as he recovers from the plague. Gaylord contracted the disease when he tried to pull a mouse out of the mouth of his cat, Charlie, because it was choking on the rodent. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)
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This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken July 11, 2012, at a hospital in Bend, Ore., shows the blackened hand of Paul Gaylord as he recovers from the plague. Gaylord contracted the disease when he tried to pull a mouse out of the mouth of his cat, Charlie, because it was choking on the rodent. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)
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This undated photo supplied by the Gaylord family shows Paul Gaylord at his Prineville, Ore., home. Gaylord contracted the plague when trying to pull a mouse out of the mouth of his cat, Charlie, because it was choking on the rodent. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)
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This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken June 16, 2012, at a hospital in Bend, Ore., shows Jake Gaylord, left, with his father, Paul Gaylord, as he recovers from the plague. Gaylord contracted the disease when he tried to pull a mouse out of the mouth of his cat, Charlie, because it was choking on the rodent. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — One look at Paul Gaylord's hands shows why the plague is referred to as "Black Death."
The central Oregon man who contracted a rare case of the plague last month after being bitten a stray cat has seen his once-strong hands darkened to the color of charcoal.
Doctors may be able to save a portion of his fingers. The 59-year-old man makes his living as a welder.
He faces a difficult recovery now that he's out of intensive care. His family is trying to raise money to get him into a new house, because the manufactured home he was living in has a leaky roof, a moldy bathroom and mice. Those are dangerous living conditions for a man with a weakened immune system.
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