'Quickly turned serious': Teen's spider bite becomes life-threatening health scare

A spider bite turned into a weeks-long, life-threatening medical ordeal for a 16-year-old boy in Iowa this summer, his family revealed.

Noah Johnson, set to be a high school junior this fall, was unexpectedly bitten by a spider at the end of June, but what started as a small bite mark quickly turned into a serious health scare.

In an interview with People, Noah's mother, Brandy Johnson, said her son was working for his brother's fence-building company to save money for a car this summer when he felt something bite his butt cheek.

It wasn't long before what started as a small mark tripled in size, with two apparent "fang marks" in the center.

"Within just a few days, the bite became infected," Brandy Johnson, wrote in a message on a fundraising page for the teen. "After visiting multiple doctors and even the emergency room, he was sent home with antibiotics. But things got worse."

Soon after, Noah was admitted to Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, Iowa, where he was diagnosed with a MRSA infection. According to the Mayo Clinic, MRSA infections involve "a type of staph bacteria that's become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections."

Noah underwent emergency surgery "to remove multiple infected pockets throughout his body" and within 24 hours, his condition became even more critical and his kidneys began to fail.

The teen was then transferred to Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, his mother said, and he was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, where he began receiving daily dialysis.

"At one point, doctors had to remove more than three gallons of fluid from his body to relieve the strain on his organs," Brandy Johnson wrote.

By July 17, Noah began showing some promising signs. He was able to go outside for fresh air, began physical therapy and even started to take his first steps.

The improvements continued and by July 22, Noah was finally home.

"Once his kidneys began working again, everything started to improve," Brandy Johnson said in an update. "It’s been a long, exhausting 3-week journey, but thanks to your prayers, love, and support, we are finally seeing the light."

She noted her son still has "a long road ahead and needs to regain strength and put on weight," but the family is hopeful for the recovery chapter ahead.

While it's not clear what kind of spider bit Noah, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources notes that venomous spiders are rare in the state.