- Diagnosed with influenza in March 2020, mum-of-two Kristin developed bacterial pneumonia and strep throat and was placed in a six-week coma
- Horrifyingly, the infection caused her body to go into septic shock and doctors amputated her arm and legs to save her life
- With the support of her family and community, Kristin is tackling life one day at a time
Here Kristin Fox, 45, tells her story in her own words.
Sitting on the sideline of the basketball court, I watched my son, Landon, then nine, shoot for the net.
Beside me, my husband, Mike, 45, and daughter, Laiken, seven, cheered with excitement.
It was March 2020, and I’d dragged myself out of bed to watch Landon play, despite feeling unwell.
At the GP afterwards, the doctor diagnosed me with influenza, gave me flu meds and advised me to take four days off from my job as an assistant school principal.
Back at home though, my runny nose and persistent cough only worsened.
By morning I couldn’t even lift my head up from the pillow.
Keeping their distance to avoid getting sick, Mike dropped the kids to school before heading to work.
‘Call me if you need,’ he said before leaving for the day.
But I was sure I just needed to sleep it off.
Later that morning though, my condition deteriorated.
I feel like I’m dying, I texted my friend Amy.
A nurse, Amy popped around to check on me.
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Taking my vitals, she found my blood pressure and oxygen levels were extremely low.
‘We’ve got to go to hospital,’ she said, loading me into her car.
Arriving at emergency a short time later, I was rushed through triage.
Then everything went black…
When I came to, Mike was by my side.
‘I thought I’d lost you,’ he cried, explaining I’d been in a coma for six weeks.
I listened in shock as he explained that, after I’d arrived at hospital, doctors discovered I was suffering from bacterial pneumonia and strep throat.
Horrifyingly, the infection caused my body to go into septic shock, resulting in a collapsed lung and failing kidneys.
I was given medication to force blood towards my vital organs.
But over the next 24 hours, my fingers and toes began turning purple from lack of blood flow.
‘They warned us you might not make it through the night,’ Mike tearfully recounted.
But nothing prepared me for what came next.
‘They had to amputate your arms and legs to save you,’ Mike choked.
Tears streaming down my face, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
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Asking him to pull back the covers, I peered down at my body.
Bandages covered my knees and elbows, where my limbs had been taken.
The legs that had carried me down the aisle on my wedding day, and the arms that had cradled my two beautiful kids as babies, were gone.
Will I ever be able to cuddle the kids or float in the ocean again? I wondered.
While I grieved my old body, I felt grateful too.
It’s a miracle I survived, I realised.
My parents, Nancy and Rick, who were looking after the kids, broke the news to them gently.
‘Doctors took the sick parts away to save Mummy’s life,’ they explained.
Not wanting to frighten them, we covered my arms and legs when we video called the kids.
In May, after 10 weeks in hospital and once doctors were confident I was well enough and the infection had cleared, I was transferred to a rehab facility.
Learning to navigate life without limbs, I focused on building up my core strength, so I could sit up unassisted and transfer myself from my motorised wheelchair to bed.
I also learned how to do every day things, such as handling utensils and brushing my hair and teeth, with a prosthetic.
At times, I felt totally overwhelmed. Just a simple thing like getting dressed that I once did without even thinking, now left me totally exhausted.
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‘I need to fight to be the mum my kids need me to be,’ I reminded myself in my darkest hours.
Once my amputation sites were completely healed, I was fitted for my first robotic arm prostheses.
And in September that year I received my prosthetic legs as well.
After six weeks of rehab, I was finally discharged in a motorised chair.
Back at home, I was filled with gratitude to be reunited with the kids.
‘Welcome home, Mum, we’ve missed you,’ they sobbed, wrapping me in a cuddle.
Incredibly, our community had rallied around us, raising funds to install a wheelchair ramp at both entries of our home.
Kind people also delivered home-cooked meals and groceries, and donated to help cover my medical bills.
Through it all Mike was my rock, cooking, cleaning and caring for our kids until I learned new ways to do things.
And when he returned to work in July, my parents, my siblings Lauren and Patrick, neighbour Leah, and best friend Lisa, were quick to lend a hand.
After months of physical therapy, I relearned how to walk, eat and shower on my own.
Putting one wobbly foot in front of the other, tears streamed down my cheeks as I walked my first 200 metres – something I thought might never be possible!
In August 2021 I returned to work.
‘We’ve been praying for you. Welcome back,’ the staff and students said upon my return.
And the following year in July, I learned how to drive without adaptations, using my prosthetic legs to press on the car’s pedals.
Six years on Landon, now 15, and Laiken, 13, are wonderful helpers, always offering to assist me to get my prosthetic legs on and off.
I no longer use my prosthetic arms, as I find it easier to navigate life without them.
I’m even back in the ocean doing what I love, boogie boarding with the kids.
My journey has been far from easy, but I’m grateful for every day I have with my family.
