Woman Puts Octopus On Face, Ends Up In Hospital

A Washington woman’s photo with an octopus not only went viral, but it also led to a serious infection after the creature bit her chin.

Jamie Bisceglia was participating in a salmon fishing derby in Tacoma Narrows on Saturday when she realized she probably wasn’t going to win that event.

However, she saw another opportunity for glory when she spied an octopus one of her friends had caught.

“I grabbed it off the hook and said, ‘Take a picture for the photo contest,’” Bisceglia told HuffPost.

She put the cephalopod on her face and said the tentacles covered her ears and nose. 

It was perfect for a fun photo, except when the octopus bit down on her chin.

“[My friends] noticed my face had changed,” she said. “We couldn’t get the beak to dislodge it was like a prong.”

Although Bisceglia eventually freed herself from the octopus, she bled profusely for 30 minutes afterwards.

“There’s still a pus pocket and there’s a spot under my chin,” she said.

Bisceglia waited two days until the fishing derby was over to seek medical attention.

That may not have been the best move, as the left side of her face was paralyzed and there was lots of swelling.

“They took me in stat, but the IVs didn’t work and my arm swelled up like an elephant,” she said.

Now she is on antibiotics and a quest of sorts.

“I want people not to do what I did,” she said. “My advice is, know what you’re touching beforehand.”

Bisceglia did get revenge of sorts: She boiled and grilled the creature and served it on a salad.

Her photo has since received worldwide attention, but Bisceglia won’t find out if it won the $100 photo contest until later this week.

Of course, if she doesn’t win after all she’s been through, that would add insult to injury.