Marie Trainer, who hails from Ohio, woke up from a medically induced coma to discover her limbs had been amputated. The woman's dog licked an open wound while she slept, which caused a severe infection.
Marie reportedly woke up one morning in May feeling unwell. She and her husband Matthew had just come back from vacationing in the Caribbean, and she thought she'd caught the flu there.
But when Marie's temperature started fluctuating - from incredibly high to worryingly low - Matthew decided to seek immediate medical attention. Then, Marie woke up 10 days later from a coma in Aultman Hospital, where she remained for almost three months.
After arriving at the hospital, Marie contracted sepsis, which gradually worsened. Doctors ultimately had to amputate the woman's arms and legs.
Capnocytophaga bacteria, which can be found in dog and cat saliva can spread to humans through bites or scratches, or through close contact. If this bacteria infects the body through an open wound or cut, it can cause sepsis. A sepsis infection can be life threatening, as it can cause organ failure.
In Marie's case, the bacteria led to blood clots, which stopped the blood flow to her arms and legs. This caused gangrene, and without amputation, Marie would have died. She told Fox 8 Cleveland: "It was very hard to find out that they had to remove my legs and my arms… very hard to cope with.”
While she can't wait to be reunited with her two dogs, Marie does admit she has a lot of healing to do, and will have to lean on her family for support. She says of her husband Matthew: “He’s here every day for me… every day he feeds me, and dresses me here every day."
Every year, 1.7 million American adults get sepsis. To help prevent sepsis, practice good hygiene to avoid infection. And be aware of the symptoms, which include high heart rate, extreme pain and clammy skin.
If you're interested in helping Marie, you can donate to her GoFundMe page to help pay for her medical bills. At the time of writing, the page has raised almost $18,000 of its $75,000 goal.