A mother-of-two who attended the emergency room with a sore throat ended up with such serious complications that all four of her limbs had to be amputated to save her life.

Kristen Fox, 42, from Poland, Ohio, went to the emergency room with a sore throat, and was sent home with medication when tests revealed she had the flu.

However, her condition continued to worsen at home and she was forced to return to the hospital after becoming so unwell she couldn't even get off her couch.

It was then discovered that Fox, who worked as a high school assistant principal, had sepsis, which can be life-threatening.

Sepsis is a serious condition where the body responds improperly to an infection, and the infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs to function poorly, according to the Mayo Clinic.

If not caught early, sepsis - which affects 1.7 million adults in the US per year - can progress to septic shock and damage organs, even causing death if left untreated.

Fox's condition was so severe that she had to be placed in a medically induced coma to allow her body to rest and heal, and have her arms and legs amputated in order to save her life.

She was admitted to the hospital in March 2020, shortly before the first Covid lockdown was implemented in Ohio.

Fox was able to be slowly woken up from the induced coma after a week and despite the difficulties of life as a newly quadruple amputee, she admitted she felt "lucky" it was her limbs she lost rather than her life.

The mom-of-two told Fox News: "Sometimes I catch myself complaining, but then I remind myself that my kids could have been mourning my death. They're 12 and 10 now, and I can't imagine them living without me.

"People send me stuff and stop me in the store and say, 'I pray for you all the time'. Those are the people who got us through."

She was able to be discharged from the hospital a few weeks after she woke up and continued her recovery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Rehabilitation Institute, where she had three hours of physical therapy daily for six weeks in order to learn how to use her limbs again.

Seven months after she was first hospitalized, Fox was fitted with prosthetic arms and legs in October 2020.

She revealed that she regularly uses the ones for her legs but finds it "easier" to do things without her arm prosthetics, and even returned to work a year after she was hospitalized.

Fox returned to her post as assistant principal at Campbell High School, telling Fox News: "I mentally had to go back to work.

"I'm a very 'go, go go' type of person, and if I went out on disability, I was not going to have a good quality of life."

She revealed that her disability has also helped educate the children she works with, adding: "I had a lot of young eyes watching me, and I knew there were so many kids who would learn so much from my reaction to this.

"It's taught them about respecting differences and treating everyone fairly, regardless of their ability. And it's taught them how they should overcome their own barriers and tough moments.

"As an educator, I didn't want my students to think I took the easy way out."

Her local community also rallied around to help her pay for costs she incurred despite her insurance paying for some of her medical costs, such as the expenses she had to pay for renovations on her home to make it more accessible by putting on fundraisers for her benefit.

Featured image credit: Peter Cade/Getty Images

A mother from Kansas who became a quadruple amputee following a traumatic birth has shared her advice to other women.

Brie Morgan Bauer, 35, had to undergo an emergency C-section to deliver her third child, Beau, on February 17, 2024, but contracted streptococcal toxic shock syndrome during childbirth.

She had to be put into an induced coma, and while both she and Beau - who was born weighing just 2lb 8oz - survived, she had to undergo a life-changing surgery to amputate both of her arms and legs.

After months of treatment, Brie was finally discharged from the hospital on June 25, and could return home with her husband Reid and their children.

Mother and son both survived the gruelling birth. Credit: Instagram/Brieandbeau

Brie had initially gone to hospital after experiencing "several days of feeling flu-like - body aches and general discomfort", where doctors determined she was in labor despite her being just 27 weeks pregnant.

They made the decision to deliver Beau by C-section, deeming the baby in danger, and Brie ended up losing a lot of blood during the procedure.

A GoFundMe set up for her explained: "The medical team struggled to get oxygen to her fluid-filled lungs and to stop her bleeding. Brie began to suffer from organ failure."

Brie was then placed into a medically-induced coma and her family were hearbreakingly told she was "unlikely to make it through the night".

However, Brie's body fought on, and the following day her lab results revealed that she was battling streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.

The infection was located in her uterus, and doctors performed an emergency hysterectomy, during which they discovered that part of her colon had died, meaning she was forced to undergo her third major surgery in under 72 hours to fit an ostomy.

Brie has undergone months of physiotherapy after having all four limbs amputated. Credit: Instagram/Brieandbeau

While she pulled through the operations, Brie's limbs had begun to be drastically impacted by the life-saving medications she was being given.

The fundraiser explained: "Her hands and feet were turning black from lack of blood flow - amputation discussions were inevitable."

Over the coming weeks, Brie underwent surgery to remove both arms and legs, as well as battling infections and setbacks, and only woke from the coma briefly, when her husband was able to tell her: "Brie, it's Reid. The baby is safe, he's beautiful and looks like you."

Thankfully, Brie managed to survive the gruelling ordeal, and was able to be discharged home, where her neghborhood greeteed her with a welcoming parade.

Credit: GoFundMe

Brie revealed the challenges she'd faced on returning home after four months in the hospital, explaining on Instagram: "A lot of people have been asking what it felt like coming home after being in the hospital for four months. Honestly, it felt a bit like returning from a long vacation.

"Seeing my kids every day and sleeping in my own bed has been incredible, but there's still a lot of adjusting to do. Figuring out how to navigate the first floor independently has been quite the challenge.

"Simple tasks like opening drawers or the refrigerator are difficult. I've learned that I can't fit through the doorway into the pantry, which has been particularly frustrating since I've been eating like crazy (thanks, stress), and I hate having to ask people to grab food for me.

"Out of everything, the hardest part has been my inability to hold baby Beau. It's ironic how both Beau and I are hitting milestones at the same time - who will be able to turn over first? Whose hair will grow in first? We're both on a journey of recovery and growth together."

She also recently took to social media to reveal her advice for other expectant mothers.

Brie acknowledged that what she went through is extremely rare, but added: "But with that said, the nurse in me, I wish I were more cognizant of me traveling. I traveled for work and I probaby would have - I don't know if I would have said no or not, but I guess just being pregnant, when you travel, I would say wear a mask, wash your hands constantly, and that's really all we can do."

She also added that she would advise people to get checked out if they begin to feel unwell and not allow their doctors to "brush off" their concerns.

"What I felt that day, I had been kind of sick the day before," she revealed, adding that her provider had told her she'd likely contracted strep orally, which then had a more serious effect on her body as a pregnant person's immune sytem is suppressed.

Featured image credit: Instagram/beauandbrie

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.

Featured image credit: GoFundMe

A hiker who suffered paralysis in her leg and just about managed to call for help has finally found out what caused her pain.

A woman who had been hiking in California's Sierra Nevada mountains was saved by local authorities just in the nick of time as her phone switched off right after she gave her location coordinates.

Credit: Facebook/Inyo County Search & Rescue

According to a social media post published on Facebook by the Inyo County Search & Rescue team, the unnamed woman had taken the Taboose Pass out of the Sierra Nevada's John Muir Trail after encountering horrific weather conditions that halted her hike.

"At around 6:30PM on Wednesday, June 12, Inyo SAR received a call-out for a hiker on Taboose Pass Trail who was unable to continue her descent from the pass," the post on Facebook read.

"The hiker had been section hiking northbound on the John Muir Trail, when she encountered too much snow for her comfort level on Mather Pass. Taboose Pass was the nearest exit out of the Sierra Nevada, so she took it."

However, things took a turn for the worse as she was collecting water to drink.

The woman believed she had been bitten by a spider and afterward, she was "unable to feel the skin on her legs and could not continue her hike down."

She still managed to call for a rescue and relay her coordinates, then her phone battery died," the statement added.

In an update, it has finally been confirmed what caused her paralysis and it wasn't actually a spider bite like it was initially believed.

A representative from the sheriff’s office told the New York Post that, according to rescuers, the hiker was accidentally stung by stinging nettles on a part of the trail that is only meant for vehicles.

"Rescuers believe that the individual who needed rescuing was stung by stinging nettles located on the overgrown trail," Lindsey Stine of the county sheriff’s office told the outlet.

Credit: Mjollnir MacAlba/Getty

According to the University of California’s Integrated Pest Management website, the tingling sensation inflicted by stinging nettles can actually persist for up to 12 hours after first contact.

“When human skin comes into contact with a leaf or stem, it often rapidly develops reddish patches accompanied by itching and burning,” the website read. “Frequently, a prolonged tingling sensation may persist on the affected skin for more than 12 hours, even after visible symptoms have faded.”

An update on the woman's condition was not provided, though it is believed the rescue team reached her promptly and she has received medical treatment for her injuries.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook