Photo: Georgiy Datsenko / iStock / Getty Images
An infected kidney stone left a Kentucky woman without her limbs. Cindy Mullins spent several days sedated at the hospital after an infected kidney stone became septic.
When Mullins woke up, doctors informed her that they had to amputate both of her legs while she was unconscious. They also told her that the infection got so bad they were going to have to amputate her arms next.
"I've lost my legs from the knees down bilaterally, and I'm going to lose my arms probably below the elbow bilaterally," Mullins told WLEX. "The doctor I used to work with, he kind of was like, 'this is what they had to do to save your life; this is what's happened.'"
While the news was devastating to Mullins, who is a nurse, she told the station that she was happy to be alive.
"I just said these are the cards I've been dealt, and these are the hands I'm going to play," Mullins explained. "I'm just so happy to be alive. I get to see my kids. I get to see my family. I get to have my time with my husband. Those are minor things at this point."
A GoFundMe has raised nearly $170,000 to help cover Mullins' medical expenses, which include rehab and, eventually, prosthetic limbs.