Bonnie Young is a sepsis survivor.

Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. This life-threatening medical emergency almost took her life.

It happened as the result of a UTI last fall. The infection, which had been treated, was exacerbated by a kidney stone, which blocked her ureter to the bladder. She went into sepsis and severe sepsis, where your body’s organs start to shut down.

She was ambulanced on August 5 to Mayo Clinic Hospital in Mankato where a stent was surgically implanted to move the stone so her body could get rid of the infection. However, by this time she advanced to septic shock, where her body’s organs were shutting down, and it could not regulate its blood pressure.

She was dying. Doctors later told her in every other instance they’ve seen a patient with her severe infection, the patient had died.

She was moved to ICU and sedated for five days. She was on a ventilator, constant kidney dialysis, and at least 18 IVs to keep her alive. After two weeks in the ICU, Bonnie was transferred to a regular room.

She fought hard to live, but the journey came with a price.

On the first day of her stay in the ICU, the vasopressors to maintain her blood pressure killed her fingers and toes. They turned purple and eventually black due to lack of circulation from the drug, which kept her alive.

On September 9, doctors amputated all ten fingers, many of them to the main knuckle.

That life-altering event was Bonnie’s second of five surgeries.

Another surgery removed the stent.

Another was to revise the finger amputations.

Her fifth surgery was on Wednesday, January 25. This was to amputate nine of her toes.

Due to being sedated, the multiple surgeries, having Post Sepsis Syndrome, and Post Intensive Care Syndrome,

Bonnie has a long road to recovery . Your contributions will make sure that care and comfort are possible.

With her amputation of fingers and toes, doctors and the wound care specialist said she will need extensive therapy to figure out how to use her hands independently 100%.

Please consider donating to our friend in need.

Serene