Kim Steele

Who knew a week after Mother’s Day, my life and my family’s life would change forever? On May 14, 2016, I was not feeling well and having difficulty breathing. I have Crohn’s Disease and two small cancer spots were recently found on my colon just a couple of weeks before. I started a new medication just 4 days prior and something shut down my immune system. (Sepsis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Sepsis and Cancer, Sepsis and Impaired Immune System)

When my other sisters and mom arrived at Henry Piedmont ER early that morning within an hour, my heart stopped three times, the liver and kidneys were shutting down and I had septic shock! In order to save my life they had to block blood flow and keep it going to the vital organs. I was finally stable enough to go to ICU and was ventilated and put in an induced coma later in the day.

My family were told by night fall that I had a 9% chance of surviving, unsure if I had suffered brain damage or heart damage, the outcome was grim. A few days later I was taken off the ventilator and miraculously I was still here.

Due to the blockage of blood flow, my hands turned dark and the bottoms of my feet, toes and up to my knees within a couple of days. I lost my hands at the wrists on June 6th and yet managed to smile. I HAD THE WILL TO LIVE!!

Surgeons met with us on June 13th regarding my lower legs and feet. For now they elected not to remove them and see how they heal. I was in the hospital for 53 days and then transferred to Healthsouth Rehabilitation to spend another 8 weeks. I was released to go home on July 15th and stayed home until November 15 when I lost my legs eight inches below the knee. I was now a quadruple amputee. On November 28th I was transferred to Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital until February 3rd. I know live on my own, cook, clean, drive a regular vehicle with no adaptive equipment and volunteer at the rehab facility. I have also done some motivational speaking for sepsis and made T-shirts as a survivor and for awareness! My goal is to travel and make people more aware of this unknown killer. And how so many lives are affected! I want to help others realize that with determination, strength and courage you can live again!