Boyd English was cured by a treatment invented in WWI

By Joan Janzen

Boyd English, a former Kindersley resident, has an interesting story to share. The 76-year-old is the first person in Western Canada to receive bacteriophage treatment, which rescued him from a life of chronic pain and immobility. What is truly amazing is that this treatment was discovered during WWI, before antibiotics were invented.

Boyd English is back riding his Harley after a treatment that was invented during WWI eliminated his infection that antibiotics couldn't touch. It transformed his life from constant chronic pain to mobility with little pain. Boyd lived his teen years in Kindersley with his parents, Beryl and Howard English, and later farmed for a period of time at Alsask. SUBMITTED

After spending the first thirteen years of his life in Marengo, Boyd moved to Kindersley with his parents, Howard and Beryl English, where his dad worked in the post office and his mom was a teacher.

"I started on the rigs when I was 17, and it didn't take me long to get to Alberta," he recalled.

It all began in 1973 when Boyd broke his hip and later received a hip replacement. In 2013, he underwent another surgery after sustaining an injury. He began experiencing chronic pain when infection spread through the hardware of his hip replacement, with bacteria on the metal forming a slime that antibiotics couldn't touch.

"By 2013, I was in pretty much pain," he said. "I actually farmed for a few years in Alsask; my farm auction sale was in 2014. My family doctor in Oyen tried a lot and finally sent me off to Edmonton."

It wasn't long before Boyd moved to Calgary, where he met Dr. Vaughn. During the next ten years, Dr. Vaughn performed more than a dozen surgeries to remove the infected flesh, and then prescribed oral antibiotics and therapy. However, the relief was only temporary.

"I've probably had 25 operations on my hip," he explained. "I've had two or three revisions."

Boyd's only other option was to replace the hip with new hardware after removing the metal and infection, but there was a problem. The doctor realized Boyd's pelvis didn't have enough bone left to withstand the hip replacement. And if they removed the bone, Boyd would lose the use of his leg.

So when Dr. Vaughn told Boyd about bacteriophage treatment, he was happy to give it a try. The pain had made him both desperate and hopeless.

"He asked if I would be interested in trying it two years ago in November. I was getting pretty wore out by that time," Boyd said. However, the process of gaining approval from Health Canada to give him the treatment took two years.

How did Boyd manage to survive the two-year waiting period? "I took physio," he responded. "I've had a physiotherapist and he's had lots to do with how I survived."

According to a media release by Alberta Health Services, bacteriophages infect the bacteria, replicate until the bacteria bursts while leaving other cells unharmed. The treatment uses a virus to destroy the antibiotic-resistant hip infection Boyd had been suffering from.

"It's about a 66 percent chance to get it on the first go, like I did. When they found out they were doing it in November, I ate fairly well and exercised as much as I was able to," he said.

Boyd underwent surgery on November 20, 2024, to introduce the bacteriophages to the infected area and then received intravenous infusions twice daily for two weeks. "I also had a pump which pumped out the infection. It was taking out 4-6 ounces a day," he explained.

"What used to be an open wound that wouldn't close is all healed up now, no swelling, no nothing," he reported. Just two days after the treatment, he said, "It was amazing how good I felt." And after six months, there's no sign of infection.

"It's way beyond amazing!" Boyd said. He's already put 540 kms on his Harley motorbike, something he couldn't have dreamed of doing before the treatment. "I never thought I'd see a day like this. Getting up and doing fifteen minutes of exercise with a minimum amount of pain, and walking around without a cane." And he's very grateful.

"I think Dr. Vaughn is more and more excited about it now. They're trying to get this out," he noted. Following Boyd's success story, another Alberta patient received the treatment, and more will follow in the next year or two.

This is Boyd's personal success story, but he's one of millions of people throughout the world who suffer from antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which has been identified as one of the top global public health threats.

Boyd has been doing his part to help out. Over the years, he's made significant donations to orthopedics and infectious diseases, but he wants to do more.

"I've been pretty fortunate in the oilfield," he said. Boyd owns a 2006 Ford GT40 sports car. "Ford made 2100 of them, and I have one that has seven miles on it. It will probably go to auction, and all the money will go to Phage." He's also trying to ensure Dr. Vaughn will have the right to use the funds as he sees fit.

In the meantime, Boyd is enjoying living in his home east of Airdrie. "I've got a 1/4 section. You can take the boy out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy," he chuckled. "I'll see Dr. Vaughn in November of this year. It'll be my first year of being free of the infection."