Arizona
Video shows terrifying moment 1,000 killer bees attacked one-legged Arizona man and his dog
Distressing video captures the moment a disabled Arizona man and his dog were attacked and badly hurt by a swarm of killer bees as he was riding his wheelchair exercise bike.
John Fischer, 60, and his pooch Pippin were out for some exercise in their Florence neighborhood Saturday evening when about 1,000 bees overwhelmed them, Arizona Family reported.
Surveillance footage published by the outlet shows Fischer – who lost a leg to infection about eight years ago – trying to crawl on the ground while using his shirt to shield him from the buzzing insects.
Fischer said he sustained over 250 stingers in his body in the harrowing attack, which left him with stings on his arms, eyes, mouth, ears, legs and back – as well scrapes from crawling on the ground after his wheelchair overturned.
“I crawled my way for a period of time to try to get far away from where they were, but they, of course, just followed me,” Fischer told Arizona Family.
First responders even had to initially retreat after the bees also began attacking them, but Fischer was finally hosed down by rescuers and rushed to a hospital, where he was given morphine for the pain and had the stingers removed from his badly bruised body.
Pippin was stung over 50 times and was taken to an animal hospital in critical condition.
“I have never experienced anything like this before. I had been stung many times before but nothing where it was more than 10 or 15 stings,” he told Arizona Family.
“There was a part of me that wanted to freak out, and there was a part of me that wanted to panic. And I knew, from past experience, that’s where you’ll lose it. And you’re no longer in control. That’s where you run into more danger,” Fischer said.
He said he was pedaling his chair with his hands with Pippin in tow when he felt what he thought was a fly and swatted it away.
“Next thing I know, there were bees all over me and all over the dog,” Fischer told the outlet. “I tried to get across the street, but I can’t see ’cause they’re going towards my eyes, and they’re all over my face.”
He managed to release Pippin, who was also getting attacked, and he ran away to a neighbor’s house, but Fischer’s wheelchair overturned during the relentless attack.
Explaining Pippin’s injuries, he addded: “He’s sick. We’re trying to get him to drink. He is very sore, and what I can see is he’s pretty lethargic. We’re also giving him Benadryl, so that’s going to knock him out,” Fischer said.
He launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for his dog’s care.
“Unlike me, he is allergic to bee stings,” Fischer wrote about his canine companion, who he said was in critical condition due to the toxins.
“We don’t have all the details at this time, but hospitalization for at least a few more days is going to happen. He is back in the danger zone,” he added.
Fischer said he was grateful to the Florence firefighters who rushed to help him – and expressed his relief that his daughter wasn’t with him that night as she is also allergic to bees.
As a final act of revenge against his attackers, he used his chair to run over a live bee that fell out of his bag.
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Federal funding cuts have impacted many medical programs around the country.
And now, key cuts to HIV and AIDS programs over the past month have left some resources in southern Arizona having to adjust their much-needed care.
El Rio Health’s Special Immunology Associates’ Clinic serves nearly 1,700 people, making it the largest HIV care provider in southern Arizona.
The clinic provides essential wrap-around care for many aspects of the lives of those who live with HIV.
“They are able to meet with a nutritionist, a caseworker, who is like a social worker. They’re able to meet their medical assistant, their pharmacist, if they have behavioral health needs, they see a psychiatrist or a therapist, etc.,” said El Rio’s SIA Clinic Medical Director, Dr. Sudha Nagalingam.
However, this past month, a portion of their Ryan White Program funds were cut by 40%, funding which they relied on for many of their services.
It meant their care, which they strive to have all their resources under one roof, will now have to pull on resources elsewhere. It’s a switch that doctors said makes things a little more complicated for patients who rely on this care.
“Many of our patients are the most underserved, struggling with some of the most basic needs, like stable housing, transportation to clinic, food subsidies,” Nagalingam said.
While El Rio’s larger health system has helped the clinic manage these cuts, some other organizations aren’t so lucky.
“I can imagine a smaller organization would feel the brunt of those cuts even heavier if they’re not able to outsource within the same system,” Nagalingam said.
The Southern Arizona Aids Foundation had $1.5 million in Ryan White funding cut this past month. And last week, federal funding cuts to HIV prevention trimmed more than $600,000 in funding from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Officials with SAAF told 13 News the cuts will force a reduction in testing hours, food assistance, dental benefits, and possibly loss of housing and rental assistance for nearly 100 people.
SAAF provided this statement to 13 News:
“We recognize how deeply unsettling these developments are—not only for our dedicated team but, most importantly, for the communities we serve,” said Beth Morrison, interim chief executive officer of SAAF. “While these funding cuts are a serious setback, our commitment to providing life-affirming care and advocacy for those living with HIV, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities marginalized by society remains unwavering. We are working closely with our national partners in D.C., as well as trusted partners such as Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign and will continue to fight for the resources our clients and community need and deserve.”
However, these cuts are something doctors say impact all who help the HIV and aids communities.
“If we’re unable to keep patients in care and keep their viral load suppressed, it becomes a public health issue, and it can lead to a transmission of the virus,” Nagalingam said.
Nagalingam said both organizations and others in the space are working together to try to preserve the services.
“I know when one of our hurts, we all sort of hurt together. So, I think more now than ever, with these cuts, is really vital that we work hand in hand to ensure that we make every dollar stretch,” Nagalingam said.
Both El Rio and SAAF said they have had to cut staff, with SAAF eliminating 14 positions within the agency, and those that remain have had to take on increased workloads.
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ATLANTA — The Diamondbacks reinstated left-handed reliever Andrew Saalfrank on Thursday, June 5, following a one-year suspension for betting on baseball.
Saalfrank was returned to the 40-man roster. He was reinstated from the ineligible list and optioned to the Arizona Complex League
To clear space, right-hander Scott McGough was designated for assignment.
A year ago, Saalfrank was suspended for bets he placed in 2021 and 2022, when he was a minor leaguer working his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Saalfrank placed a total of $445.87 worth of bets — 28 of them MLB-related, another a college baseball parlay — on games between September 9, 2021, and March 9, 2022. Major League Baseball said at the time of the suspension that Saalfrank did not play in any of the games in which he placed a bet, nor did he wager on games involving his team.
Saalfrank played a key role on the Diamondbacks in 2023, logging 10 1/3 innings of scoreless relief work down the stretch, then recording some key outs during the postseason.
He made only two appearances in the majors last season prior to his suspension, giving up four runs in one inning.
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