A Kentucky mother of two who woke up after routine surgery to discover she had undergone a quadruple amputation shared a heartwarming photo of her youngest son helping to feed her and announced she had been transferred to a new hospital.
Lucinda Mullins, 41, had surgery to remove a kidney stone, but it became infected and became septic, causing her to lose both her legs and arms.
Mullins' support system has shared updates on her condition since the surgery took a dark turn. In a recent photo, her youngest son Easton helped feed her.
The 41-year-old nurse was taken to Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where she will stay for several weeks before undergoing further surgery.
'She made it to Cardinal Hill today and even felt the little snowflakes on her face as she left Britain. She is more than ready for this next step and change of scenery for a few weeks,” Mullins' sister Luci Smith said in a Facebook post Monday.
Lucinda Mullins, 41, had surgery to remove kidney stones but woke up when a quadruple amputee shared a touching photo of her youngest son helping her feed
Mullins is pictured with her hair tied back and smiling with her medical care team
Mullins put on a brave face during the life-changing event, but after her first day of therapy, she shared a photo of herself lying in her hospital bed, covered in bandages.
'She had a great first day of therapy! She was so excited and doing so well,” said her friend Heather Beshears, who set up the Mullins GoFundMe page.
In another photo, Mullins can be seen with her hair tied back, smiling with her medical care team.
When the kidney stone became septic, she was first taken by ambulance to Fort Logan Hospital in Stanford and from there to a University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington.
But doctors had to amputate both her legs and told her she would also lose both arms below her elbows.
Upon her arrival in Cardinal Hill, Beshears posted a photo to the GoFundMe page of Mullins and her husband DJ smiling from her hospital bed.
“Keep praying, we are one step closer to her home,” Smith said.
Mullins said LEX 18: 'I've lost my legs from the knees bilaterally and I'm probably going to lose my arms bilaterally below the elbow.'
After her first day of therapy at Cardinal Hill, she shared a photo of herself lying in her hospital bed, covered in bandages
The 41-year-old nurse is pictured being kissed by her sister and girlfriend. Mullins was taken to Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky
Mullins put on a brave face during the life-changing event, sharing a hospital bed selfie with her husband DJ
“The doctor I worked with was like, 'This is what they had to do to save your life. This is what happened. ''
When asked how she stayed optimistic, Mullins said, “I just said these are the cards I've been dealt and these are the hands I'm going to play.”
'I'm just so happy to be alive. I get to see my children. I get to see my family. I can spend my time with my husband. Those are small things right now.”
In addition to her family and friends, the mother also found support within her community.
'I think they once said there were forty people in the waiting room here. The calls and the texts, the prayers and the things people have sent. The little words of encouragement.”
“I just can't imagine people doing things like that for me,” Mullins said while in the hospital.”
As the former nurse prepares for rehabilitation, physical therapy and prosthetics, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help her handle medical bills.
Lucinda Mullins, 41, mother of two boys, regularly underwent kidney stone surgery that became infected and septic, causing her to lose both her legs and arms
As the former nurse prepares for rehabilitation, physical therapy and prosthetics, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help her handle medical bills
Mullins said: “I'm just so happy to be alive. I get to see my children. I get to see my family. I can spend my time with my husband'
Beshears has the crowdfunding page and wrote, “Cindy, as most of her friends call her, is a sweet, caring, courageous and beautiful young lady who recently experienced a life-changing tragedy that will leave her a quadruple amputee.
“Cindy and her family will need to make some adjustments to their home to accommodate Cindy's needs, as well as her prosthetics and adaptive equipment.
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.”
The fundraiser raised $173,768 of its $250,000 goal.