Just four days after giving birth, Lindsey Hubley found herself fighting for her life because of a flesh-eating disease. The new mom underwent a total hysterectomy and had to have ALL her limbs amputated after doctors failed to give her proper treatment for her symptoms.
The viral medical news touched the hearts of many and also shed more light on the dreadful disease that can attack anyone.
Scroll down to read her story.
After the horrific ordeal, Hubley took legal action against IWK Health Centre, claiming negligence on their part. According to her lawyer, doctors were careless during her birth and postoperative care, leading to the infection that left her permanently disfigured.
Hubley gave birth to a healthy baby boy and thought that everything was okay. A day after being discharged, she was rushed back to the hospital because of abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with constipation and sent home to rest.
The pain got progressively worse and she returned to the hospital the next day. It was found out that she developed necrotizing fasciitis after delivering her baby. Her camp alleges a part of her placenta wasn't removed and her perennial tear wasn't sutured, causing health issues that could've led to the infection.
Because of the misdiagnosis, the infection spread quickly, causing major damage to her body. “Our allegations are that had she been properly assessed when she presented at the hospital … a substantial part of the damage, if not all of it, could have been prevented,” lawyer Ray Wagner explains in an interview.
Necrotizing fasciitis is an inflammatory infection caused by bacteria that attacks the skin and its tissues. This flesh-eating infection can be caused by several strains of bacteria, which enter the body through open wounds.
It spreads rapidly and causes flu-like symptoms including fever, body aches, pain, inflammation, and discoloration. Without immediate treatment, the infection causes tissues to die, leading to organ failure, and even death.
Hubley was forced to spend the first seven months of her son's life confined in the hospital. She was in a medically induced coma for two weeks, underwent several major surgeries, and later entered rehab so she could learn how to walk with her prosthetics.
“She was very lucky to have survived,” Wagner said in an interview.
The infection is life-threatening, with a high mortality rate exceeding 30%. Those who are lucky enough to survive are often left with major damage and lifelong disabilities.
Hubley's amazing positivity has helped her throughout the terrifying experience. She looks back at her miraculous recovery and shares with her Instagram followers how her journey has been.
"Some days are hard, some days it’s hard to see all the progress I’ve made. Then I look back and see just how far I’ve come. This day almost 1 year ago I was celebrating my most recent accomplishment, sitting up unassisted. I look at this photo and I see strength. 💪🏻"
