Woman Stunned When Rare Flesh-Eating Spider Bite Turns Into the Unexpected

Artist Shelby Alexandra has shared her extraordinary ordeal with a flesh-eating spider bite that incredibly healed into a perfect heart shape.

At her lakeside Skagit County home in Washington state, Alexandra was sleeping when she was unexpectedly bitten by a hobo spider.

"I woke up with a massive rash and giant yellow blisters on the right side of my ankle and shin. These bites are apparently VERY rare—so rare that they are not even classified as dangerous spiders. My experience begs to disagree," Alexandra told Newsweek. She quickly sought medical attention and was prescribed antibiotics and antihistamines to combat the effects of the bite.

These arachnids originate in Europe and were inadvertently introduced to the Pacific Northwest in the early 20th century.

Scientific consensus is that the hobo spider's bite is not considered harmful to human health. Despite rumors of necrotic or flesh-eating effects prompting fear, the CDC does not list them among venomous spider species that are toxic to humans.

It was in the following week that Alexandra's experience took a grim turn. A golf-ball-sized yellow blister formed on her ankle before eventually bursting to reveal a black, necrotic wound.

"I immediately went back to the hospital and they referred me to a Wound Care Center. There, I was told that it would likely get worse and worse for the next few months, and I should avoid walking to stop the spread of the venom," Alexandra said. "The wound was necrotic, and continued to melt away for the next month until I had a hole about one inch deep into my leg."

For the next three months, she returned for wound care procedures weekly: "It was probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced... I spent many sleepless nights in absolutely unbearable agony."

Unable to walk for over a month, Alexandra spoke of the moment she discovered the bite's unusual shape.

"The first time one of the nurses said, 'oh, it looks like a heart,' I was in so much pain, I honestly didn't care," Alexandra said. "When it finally healed over completely, around four months after I was initially bit, I was so extremely grateful. At this point, it truly looked like a heart."

As a result of the injury, Alexandra had been unable to move to Los Angeles as she had planned over the summer to pursue art opportunities. But despite her plans being shattered, the heart-shaped wound has given the artist pause for thought.

"Maybe I was meant to be here, and spend it with my now-fiancée who helped me through the injury like a saint. Maybe there was some reason beyond me that I wasn't supposed to go to LA," Alexander said. "It felt like a strange sign from the ether. Or maybe it just happened to heal like a heart, and all of that is silly wishful thinking."

Alexander decided to share the story and picture of her heart-shaped scar on social media. She initially posted updates as @shelbystardust on X, formerly Twitter, where the art community followed the journey. Earlier this week, she shared the story on Reddit where it has gained further attention.

"I am grateful and humbled that so many people were entertained by my scar," Alexander said, adding that she now sees the unusual mark as a symbol of strength.

"Every time I catch a glimpse of it, I am still surprised by how much it truly looks like a perfect heart—like a pink-red tattoo on my ankle. All in all, it's really not a bad scar to have," she said.

Now the wound is healed, Alexandra is back to working on her art. "My career was quite set back by this injury, and I'm working overtime now to recover it," she said.