A US woman has shared an update on her recovery after losing all four of her limbs after doing a ‘normal’ thing while walking into her house.
When Marie Trainer returned home from a tropical holiday in the spring of 2019, she had no idea that her life would transform forever.
Marie received a warm welcome home from her dog, being greeted by kisses from the beloved pooch who was no doubt delighted to see her again.
The greeting for the Ohio resident was so normal that she didn’t even think twice about the small cut on her hand at the time.
However, a couple of days later, her life would change forever.
Over the following four days, Marie began to feel progressively more unwell, with her husband of 37 years, Matt Trainer, later taking her to get checked out at a local hospital.
“I wasn’t feeling well and just got sicker and sicker,” she explained, after seeking medical attention Marie slipped into a coma as doctors were able to understand what exactly had happened to her.
Subsequent examinations at her local hospital and the Cleveland Clinic would reveal that Marie had contracted a rare infection from bacteria called capnocytophaga canimorsus.
What is capnocytophaga canimorsus?
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, capnocytophaga bacteria commonly found in the saliva of dogs and cats.
If the bacteria enters the human body it can cause a rare – but potentially fatal – infection.
The bacteria can also cause serious complications such as sepsis, heart attack, kidney failure, severe blood clots and gangrene.
Doctors believe the bacteria had entered Marie’s system after her dog licked the open wound on her hand.
When Marie woke days later in a hospital bed, she would discover that both of her legs and arms had been amputated. The bacteria had caused several blood clots to form in her limbs – which subsequently saw her arms and legs turn necrotic.
“It was just rapidly progressing where her hands and feet were turning black,” Dr. Ajay Seth, told Fox News.
It was initially advised that Marie would need all four of her limbs amputated at the torso. However, Dr Seth was determined to save as much as possible in order to allow her the use of prosthetics.
Marie would ultimately have both of her legs amputated above the knees but Dr Seth was able to save a good deal of her arms – and she has since been on a five year recovery journey.
“It’s been challenging,” she said.
“Learning how to walk was the hardest thing, but I’m good, I’m doing good.”
Marie has since been fitted with state of the art myoelectric prosthetics, allowing her to enjoy activities such as gardening and drawing once again.
“When I see her walk it’s like, ‘Oh my God this is amazing,'” said Matt said of his wife’s recovery, “We see the light at the end of the tunnel, we just adjust what we have to do, it just takes more planning when we want to do something.”
“To see the progress she’s made in five years it’s like miraculous, it’s unbelievable how far she’s come,” Dr Seth added.