Girl With Rare Infection Travels To Denver For Special Treatment

DENVER (CBS4)- A teenager made the trip to Denver in hopes that doctors at National Jewish Hospital will be able to save her hand. Hannele Cox arrived Thursday night from Oak Hills, Calif.

"I'm happy, I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm iffy, I'm pretty much everything except sad," said Hannele.

Hannele contracted a rare flesh-eating infection in 2006 after cutting her hand in her family's fish tank. The bacteria infection, Mycrobacterium Marinum, has spread to five bones in her right hand.

"It's sharp, it's constant. It's just pain. I don't really know how to explain it," said Hannele.

Despite countless treatments and surgeries, nothing has worked. Specialists at National Jewish said they've treated this type of disease.

Hannele and her family are cautiously optimistic.

"They just talk about the whole amputation and I don't lilke hearing it. I don't like hearing what this infection might do," said Hannele.

"The thought of my 13-year-old daughter possibly losing her hand is just something you can't comprehend," said