An Indiana community rallied around a nurse who underwent a quadruple amputation after developing sepsis from a case of pneumonia in February.
Alix Gerringer, 29, was admitted into the hospital this past February for a case of pneumonia, which she hoped she would recover from quickly.
Instead, she developed sepsis and had to undergo a quadruple amputation to save her life, keeping her in the hospital for months, the Lafayette Journal & Courier reported.
Although Gerringer is still recovering from the sepsis that led to her amputations in the first place, her community has stepped up to raise money for her and her family.
Her coworkers and friends at IU Health Arnett, where Gerringer was employed as a nurse, are hosting a charity softball tournament and raffle on September 26 at Faith East Community Center.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by the body’s response to an infection.
Gerringer noticed starting in October 2019 that she started getting sick with a bunch of coughs and respiratory infections. In February, she went to the hospital and was diagnosed with pneumonia.
Her condition worsened and she developed septic shock and another skin condition that required her to have skin grafts. Once she lost blood flow to her hands and feet, doctors amputated them in March.
“Being a nurse, I looked at (amputation) that way,” Gerringer said. “There was no saving my hands and feet, and I understood that it had to be the next step. At that point, I didn’t think beyond how it would affect my life, but at the time I knew it was the right decision — it had to be, or I would have died.”
Between her hospital stay, long-term care, and rehabilitation, she spent five months away from home. She is also preparing to receive prosthetic arms.
As Gerringer continues her recovery at home, her community is hard at work organizing various fundraisers that will culminate in the softball game.
Kristen Romanovich, Gerringer’s friend and fellow nurse, said the community had sold nearly 200 “Alix strong” t-shirts, raising $3,000. The community also held a garage sale on Friday, with all profits going towards Gerringer.
Romanovich says the goal is to raise $20,000 for Gerringer.
“Sepsis took a lot from Alix,” Romanovich said, “but it didn’t take her life and it didn’t take her spirit.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.