A Tornado, a Rare Fungus, and a Joplin, MO Boy’s Will to Live

On May 22, 2011, a devastating EF-5 tornado touched down in Joplin, Missouri. The tornado leveled parts of the area and caused the deaths of 158 people.

But the horrors didn't stop there. Because after the tornado left, some of the residents of Joplin started exhibiting symptoms of a deadly fungal infection, including a then 16-year-old boy who had been sucked into the tornado's cyclone.

Almost 14 years later, Netflix released a documentary about the incident and aftermath, documenting the effects the fungus from the Joplin tornado had on Steven Weersing.

Keep reading to learn more about The Twister: Caught in the Storm and the horrifying ordeal that faced Weersing after the skies cleared.

The Netflix documentary dropped on March 19, 2025, and detailed what happened on the night that the EF-5 tornado touched down in Joplin.

According to Weersing, he and his friends had been cruising around town when the storm hit. The car ended up directly in the path of the massive tornado, and as the brute force of the storm pulled the car into the cyclone, Weersing was pulled out of the vehicle and swept away.

His friends eventually found him on the ground after the tornado had dissipated. Although Weersing told the Netflix cameras that his life had flashed before his eyes during the incident, the real horrors came later. That's because Weersing was eventually diagnosed with a severe zygomycosis infection that left him with just a 5 percent chance of survival.

Zygomycosis (AKA: mucormycosis) is a potentially deadly fungal infection that is caused by mold spores known as mucormycetes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

These commonly occurring molds are found throughout the environment — like in rotten wood, compost bins, and even leaf piles — and in many cases, people can be exposed to them without having any ill effects.

However, those with weakened immune systems, or those who are exposed through open wounds, can have a different experience. That's exactly what happened to Weersing and 12 of his neighbors.

According to ScreenRant, it didn't take long for the victims to start presenting symptoms of the infection, which appeared as blisters and ulcers on their skin.

Shortly after those blemishes appeared, the skin in the area began to turn black and decay, a process known as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease.

In the end, five of the 13 people infected died, and Weesing ended up undergoing surgery to remove the damaged parts of his body, which included some of his skin, and parts of his heart and liver, earning the then-teen the nickname of Miracle Boy.

While this does sound like a miracle, it also sounds like a harrowing time for a community where over a thousand people were injured, and so many lost their lives.

Hopefully sharing the details of their experience brings some peace to those who were left behind by the storm.