A Kentucky mother of two who lost all four limbs is in good spirits and recently showed off her new prosthetic arms and legs.
Cindy Mullins, a nurse, had her arms and legs amputated in January after a kidney stone infection turned them septic.
Months after the surgery that changed his life forever, Mullins, 41, called last Friday “a great day” in his life thanks to his new prototype arm.
In a photo published in their GoFundMe page, which has already raised more than $333,000, is seen smiling as she wears a black prosthetic on her right arm for the first time. A second photo of her shows her taking a brochure in an orthopedic office.
That same day, he was also equipped with new legs. In a photo of her, doctors help her walk with the prosthetics.
“I never thought I would be so happy to have shiny pink legs,” she wrote.
Cindy Mullins, who had all four limbs amputated due to a kidney stone infection, is seen with her prosthetic arm five months after her initial surgery.
“I never thought I would be so happy to have shiny pink legs,” Mullins wrote on her GoFundMe.
Mullins, 41, undergoing physical therapy with her new prosthetic legs
Mullins has been preparing to train to use prosthetics since early March.
‘As if he wasn’t strong enough, he’s about to get stronger. “We just checked into Cardinal Hill for a couple weeks of intense therapy to prepare her for the prosthetic journey that is about to begin,” her DJ husband wrote in a March 8 post.
Mullins originally began receiving treatment for kidney stones, which are hard balls of salt and minerals that form inside the body.
The doctor left a temporary stent in his body after surgery to prevent blockage. When she removed the stent at home as instructed, the mother of two began to feel unwell and she fainted.
She was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors discovered that an unremoved kidney stone had become infected.
“I just want people to know that this is not a sad story,” Mullins told DailyMail.com. This has a happy ending. I am alive. I can be with my children and my husband’
Mullins, photographed with her son at a school event while recovering from a quadruple amputation.
Mullins lost his legs and arms when an infected kidney stone caused sepsis and doctors were forced to amputate his limbs to save his life.
Mullins was told he had suffered septic shock and his organs were beginning to fail. She was stabilized and put on a ventilator before being taken to a larger hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.
Over the next few days, his organ function improved, but blisters soon broke out on his extremities. When he regained consciousness, doctors told him that he would survive the infection, at the cost of his hands and legs.
He underwent a series of amputations that ended with the removal of his forearms in February.
“I just want people to know that this is not a sad story,” Mullins told DailyMail.com in early February. ‘This has a happy ending. I am alive. I can be with my children and my husband.’
After hours of grueling physical therapy sessions, Mullins regained her ability to feed herself using a specially adapted fork strapped to her arm.
She also learned to sit on her own and scroll through her phone with her nose.
The 41-year-old has learned to sit upright and eat with a special fork after hours of grueling physical therapy.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $333,000 to cover costs associated with prosthetics and home adjustments. The page has also become an online diary documenting Mullins’ recovery.
Mullins began training to use prosthetic arms and legs in early March.
Still, her husband, DJ, and their two children had to adjust in the months after Mullins’ quadruple amputation.
Every morning, DJ must bandage and dress his wife’s wounds to keep them clean and airtight.
The 41-year-old mother has said she is determined to return to work as a certified medical assistant when she is ready.
The GoFundMe campaign was organized by a close friend, Heather Beshears, and became a journal documenting Mullins’ recovery.
“Cindy and her family will have to make some adjustments to their home to accommodate Cindy’s needs, as well as her prosthetics and adaptive equipment,” Beshears wrote on the page.
‘The costs of all this can be overwhelming. We started this fundraiser because we want to support our hero Cindy, as well as her DJ husband, who has been by her side every step of the way.’
