When Sherri Moody, a 51-year-old teacher from Texas, takes an unexpected turn, she finds herself embroiled in a battle that changes her life forever. A simple cold.
During a school trip in April, Shirley started experiencing a sore throat, symptoms she initially attributed to a common cold. However, a seemingly minor infection quickly turns into a battle with a more serious illness.
Within days, Shirley felt exhausted and developed symptoms of vomiting, high fever and difficulty breathing, prompting her to seek emergency medical care.
The situation was compounded when Shirley’s immune system overreacted, attacking both infected and healthy cells, and her organs began to fail. The process blocked blood flow to his extremities, triggering a diagnosis of sepsis, an extreme body response to infection that affects 10% of patients hospitalized in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One third are fatal. Read: World Sepsis Day, can widespread infection be prevented?
Her condition was so severe that it forced doctors to place her into a coma, during which time her limbs began to die until they turned black and became mummified, as described by her husband David, who witnessed his wife’s painful condition firsthand deterioration.
road to recovery
In June 2023, Shirley’s battle took a new turn when she was forced to undergo amputation of both legs below the knees, and a month later her arms were amputated below the elbow.
Despite facing these adversities, Shirley chose to adopt a positive outlook on life. With her husband’s unconditional support, she began the process of learning to operate a wheelchair and preparing to adapt to prosthetics, spending four months in the hospital and another month in a rehabilitation center.
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Shirley has publicly shared her resilient mindset, saying, “I’m mentally very strong. I just choose to be happy. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a breakdown every now and then and just cry a little bit. “I won’t allow this to continue. Too long. “
The next step in his recovery process includes surgery to address gangrene in his knee. If the surgery is unsuccessful, doctors will consider an above-the-knee amputation, which will create another challenge on his road to recovery.
Sepsis is a serious, life-threatening complication that can be caused by a variety of infections, whether in the lungs, urinary tract, skin or gastrointestinal tract. Its symptoms are often similar to those of the flu, making it difficult to detect early. Although there is no single test that can identify it, doctors rely on signs of infection and blood tests to diagnose it.
Progression of sepsis can lead to septic shock, a sharp drop in blood pressure, which can be fatal if left untreated. Both the Mayo Clinic and the CDC emphasize the importance of seeking immediate medical care at the first signs of sepsis, such as inability to get out of bed, extreme fatigue, or significant changes in mental status.
Each year, the disease affects 1.7 million Americans and kills 350,000 people, underscoring the urgency of increasing awareness and providing early treatment.