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Mullins told the news station that she hoped that her story would inspire others to “slow down” and live a more meaningful life.
A US woman woke from surgery to remove a kidney stone to find her legs had been amputated. She was then told by doctors her arms would need to be removed as well to save her life.
Kentucky mother Lucinda Mullins told US news station WLEX she is “just happy to be alive” after losing her limbs when a routine bout with a kidney stone became infectious, causing her to become septic.
“I get to see my kids. I get to see my family. I get to have my time with my husband.
“I just said these are the cards I’ve been dealt and these are the hands I’m going to play. … Those are minor things at this point.”
Mullins was rushed to the hospital after suffering with a kidney stone prior to the Christmas period. While she did seek treatment, she was subsequently rushed to hospital when it became infected. She was sedated for days following the surgery.
When she woke, she realised her legs had been amputated, with doctors informing her of the urgency to amputate her arms to save her life after her infection had spread, subjecting her to a rare “perfect storm” of potentially deadly medical problems, she told WLEX.
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“I’ve lost my legs from the knees down bilaterally, and I’m going to lose my arms probably below the elbow bilaterally,” Mullins said.
“I’ve lost my legs from the knees down bilaterally, and I’m going to lose my arms probably below the elbow bilaterally,” she said.
The career-ending procedure was hard to fathom for her and her family.
Mullins, who worked as a nurse for 20 years at the same hospital where she underwent the amputation, would no longer be able to continue her career and would change the lives of her family, husband DJ and their two sons, aged 12 and 7.
The traumatic news was met with an outpouring of community support.
As news spread of her plight, locals rallied, raising more than $100,000 in donations for the family, as Mullins prepares to undergo rehabilitation, physical therapy, and prosthetics.
“At one time, I think they told me 40 people were in the waiting room” of the hospital, Mullins said. “The calls and the text, the prayers, and the things people have sent, the little words of encouragement – I just can’t fathom that people are doing things like that for me.”
Mullins told the news station that she hoped her story would inspire others to “slow down” and live a more meaningful life.
“Appreciate the things around you, especially your family,” Mullins said. “It’s OK to let people take care of you.
“If one person can see God from all this, that made it all worth it.”
