A Kentucky nurse who lost all four limbs after routine kidney surgery has shared photos of her doing sit-ups before getting her prosthetics.
Lucinda Mullins, 41, lost all her limbs when doctors had to amputate to save her life when a kidney stone infection led to blood poisoning in December.
Mother of two fromm Ferguson has been making daily progress since she was moved to Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington.
Lucinda ‘Cindy Williams, 41, who lost all four limbs after routine kidney surgery, has made great strides and is pictured doing a sit-up routine as she prepares for her prosthesis
Mullins is pictured working with a specialist at the rehabilitation center working on stretching and strength training exercises – before being fitted for her prosthesis
The Mullins family pictured during a family picnic before the mother-of-two became an amputee
Mullins is pictured working with a specialist carrying out stretching and strength training exercises before being fitted for her prosthesis – in a series of photos shared on GoFundMe.
Heather Beshears, who started the fundraiser, provides daily updates on Mullin’s progress. On Tuesday, she wrote: ‘Zero days off for this smart. So impressive !!!!!’
The GoFundMe set up on Dec. 18, 2023 — days after the near-fatal event — has raised thousands, but more is needed to pay for Mullin’s medical expenses and recovery.
Described as ‘a lovely, caring, brave and beautiful young lady’, Mullin’s devoted husband DJ and her two young children have been by her side, including extended family and friends.
The fundraiser has received more than 4.8K donations, and as of Tuesday, more than $309,000 has been raised toward their $350,000 goal.
The funds will go toward Mullins’ extensive medical bills and to help the family transform their home so it would be livable for Mullins.
Beshears, the fundraiser’s organizer wrote “the cost of all this can be overwhelming.”
“We started this fundraiser because we want to support our hero Cindy, as well as her husband DJ who has been by her side every step of the way,” she wrote in part.
“Cindy and her family will need to make a few adjustments to their home to accommodate Cindy’s needs as well as her prosthetics and adaptive equipment.”
She said their two young children miss their mother and father since the harrowing ordeal and asked for the public’s continued support in her recovery.
‘Let’s help ease their burden as they heal and get back to their lives. We hope to allow Cindy to focus on her recovery,’ she wrote.
Many supporters have shared messages of love, support and healing for Mullin’s long journey.
Cindy, her husband DJ and their two young sons before the sepsis that almost killed her
One person wrote: ‘Your story, your optimism and your faith have inspired me. I wish you all the help you need during this difficult time. God bless.’
‘Saw your story on Candace Owens’ show. You are an incredibly strong woman. I doubt I would be able to handle your situation with your grace. Good luck and God bless,’ another person wrote.
Through physical therapy, she can now sit up, lift her arms to scratch her nose, shake her head, run all over the place and scroll through her messages.
In an interview with Good Morning America earlier this year, Mullins talked about what she would do when she returned home and explained what had gone wrong with her stone removal.
She explained that she had opted for an elective kidney stone and the doctor had left a temporary stent in her body after the operation to prevent a blockage.
Cindy Mullins, 41, woke up from sedation just before Christmas to find doctors had amputated all four limbs in a desperate bid to save her life after a kidney stone infection led to blood poisoning
Following her doctor’s orders, she removed the stent at home, started feeling ill and was found on the floor by her husband, DJ.
Mullins was immediately taken to a hospital, and doctors began performing tests on her.
The former nurse said: ‘They checked my blood pressure and it was 50 over 31 and in my mind I knew it wasn’t good. They started IVs on both arms and I don’t remember anything after that.’
To stabilize her condition, she was put on a ventilator before she could be transferred to a major hospital in Lexington. Her family was then notified that she was in a serious condition.
Mullins was then put on dialysis to help her kidneys and an ECMO machine to give her heart and lungs time to rest and heal.
‘My husband and sister were there and they told them I was on the edge of a cliff and it was going to get worse before it got better. After the surgery, I was put on ECMO and dialysis and I was still on the ventilator,’ Mullins recalled.
While her organs received the support they needed, her legs and arms began to develop blisters.
By the time she was removed from the ventilator, her legs and arms had severely deteriorated and had to be amputated.
‘When they told me it was going to happen, that I was going to lose my hands and feet, I wasn’t angry. I had a peace around me. I just felt God’s presence saying, ‘It will work out. You are alive. This is what has happened,’ and I wasn’t upset.
‘The doctors tell me they can’t put a percentage on how close I was to dying and I’m doing as well as I am after being on a ventilator, ECMO and dialysis… for me must do as well, as quickly That I did is another miracle
“It was just one of those things where they explain all the bad things that can happen when you have surgery, and I was like, that rare case was really healthy,” Mullins said.
“The doctor I used to work with, he was like, ‘This is what they had to do to save your life. This is what has happened’.
‘I just said these are the cards I’ve been dealt and this is the hand I’m going to play.
‘I’m just so happy to be alive. I will see my children. I’m going to see my family. I get time with my husband. It’s little things at this point, she said.