A mom lost both her arms and legs while giving birth to her child.
Brie Morgan Bauer was 35 when was forced to give birth to her third child, Beau, at only 27 weeks.
Earlier this year in February, medical professionals at a hospital in Kansas City were forced to undergo an emergency C-section in order to save the baby as well as the mother as per a report by The Daily Mail.
Beau was born shortly after the surgery weighing only 2lb 8oz but while the baby was being stabilized, his mother's condition continued to decline.
Brie ended up developing Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome and was placed in a coma, which is a serious complication of a streptococcus infection that has a sudden onset, and usually rapidly progresses to multi-organ dysfunction, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Over the next few weeks, she went through multiple surgeries which resulted in her having to amputate all four of her limbs. She was also forced to have an emergency hysterectomy because a massive portion of the disease was concentrated in her uterus.
Not only that but doctors also discovered that part of her colon had died, so had to prepare to fit an ostomy, which would be the mom-of-three's third surgery in less than 72 hours.
Due to the high mortality rate associated with Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome, medical professionals had to work quickly to save the 35-year-old.
A GoFundMe page was set up in the wake of the tragedy, with details of Brie's injuries.
"Following delivery, the medical team struggled to get oxygen to her fluid-filled lungs and to stop her bleeding. Brie began to suffer from organ failure. As a result, the doctors placed her in a medically induced coma while they searched for the root cause of her condition. They advised the family that she was unlikely to make it through the night," the family stated in the description of the fundraiser.
That's when Brie underwent all of her surgeries including her quadruple amputation. During her coma, she did regain consciousness once, when her partner Reid, took the opportunity to tell her: "Brie, it’s Reid. The baby is safe, he’s beautiful and looks like you."
"In the following weeks and months, Brie would go on to have countless surgeries to repair her abdomen and remove dead (necrotic) tissue that was caused by the sepsis," the description continued. "She battled infections, setbacks and endured amputations to all four limbs: Her right arm, just above the elbow. Her left arm, just below the elbow. Her right leg, which is at hip-level. And her left leg, just above the knee."
While his mom was recovering, Beau was growing stronger each day, and just last month, he was finally healthy enough to go home to his family.
"As of May 20th, Brie remains in the hospital with plans to transfer to rehab soon and hopefully return home as a family of five by mid-summer," the statement added.
So far, the page has managed to raise over $356,000, and the number continues to grow every hour.
The family has been sharing their recovery journey on social media.
Their latest post shows Brie outside of the hospital, navigating in her motorized wheelchair.
"What a difference a week and a half makes!" the caption reads. "Couldn't be more proud of our girl for crushing rehab. Thank you to the OT and PT teams for helping her break down barriers."
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they continue to heal from this traumatic period in their lives.
