Australian man in agony with a killer belly condition after he caught mystery bug from a can of beer he dropped in a river

A sip from a can of beer he'd dropped in a

river was all it took for this grandfather to

catch a mystery bug that made his stomach

balloon.

John Macdonald, 60, was on the Brisbane

River, in Queensland, Australia, was on a

fishing trip in March last year when the 'tinny'

slipped out of his hand and into the water.

Without thinking Mr Macdonald picked it up

up and carried on drinking from it.

Just a few hours later he was violently ill and

has since had to endure countless hospital

visits and operations to try and rid of the

large mass growing from his stomach.

Mr Macdonald was operated on at his local

Caboolture hospital after antibiotics

prescribed to him failed. Despite the drugs he

was given more surgery.

He was transferred to the Royal Brisbane

Hospital for a third operation which initially

was thought to be a success.

Instead he went into more shock when he

woke up with an even larger and more

grotesque hernia-like mass on his stomach.

On May 8 this year, John was once again

admitted for surgery at the RBH to remove

the mass, an operation he thought would be

his last – but now the condition has returned

again.

Mr Macdonald is now making a worldwide

appeal to anyone who can cure his mystery

illness, the large mass had returned but he

said he was told by doctors that there was

nothing they could do for at least 12 months.

He said: 'They operated and I was left with a

flat stomach.

'But not long after when you can see what you

had for supper you know something is wrong,

that was the day I knew I was in strife. I'm

told we have to start the whole process again.

'Clearly the Brisbane River is far more

polluted than people think – it was a split

second decision on my part – a stupid one –

and I have to live with this for the rest of my

life.

'I want to tell my story to the world in the

hope that someone somewhere might answer

my prayers and finally get me well – I'm a

good bloke and I want to be around for my

kids and my little grandchild so if there's a

bloody good doc out there that can help, then

give me a holler.'