[kompressaur]

A VICTORIAN woman who beat a rare flesh-eating disease says she survived the terrifying ordeal only because she was "fat".

Clair Robinson, 23, is lucky to be alive after contracting the killer bacteria following surgery at a regional hospital.

The shop assistant thought she had a fever and stomach ache until she was told the life-threatening condition was eating through her stomach muscles and body tissue.

"Being big saved my life," she said.

"If I had have been smaller it would have eaten my organs and my insides. My kidneys and liver would have been eaten if I hadn't have been big.

"Maybe fat people do have a good life after all."

Being fat beat flesh-eating disease | Herald Sun