What should have been one of the happiest moments of Brie’s life turned into a fight for survival that would change her family forever.

In September, Brie and her husband Reid were overjoyed to discover they were expecting their third child, another little boy. Their sons, Brooks, then four, and Barrett, two, were thrilled when their mother placed their hands on her growing belly and told them: “You’re going to be big brothers.”

The pregnancy had been progressing smoothly until February, when Brie was 27 weeks pregnant. What began as an ache in her shoulders soon developed into flu-like symptoms, a fever and severe body aches.

As a clinical research nurse, Brie knew something was wrong and went to see her obstetrician. Blood tests and monitoring revealed she was in early labour, and every contraction was putting their unborn baby under stress.

Doctors rushed her to hospital for an emergency caesarean. Their son was delivered safely, but Brie’s own life was suddenly hanging in the balance.

When she regained consciousness, Reid was beside her, holding her hand. He told her she had been in a coma for ten days.

Her first question was about their newborn son.

“He’s in NICU and is doing well,” Reid reassured her. But what he told her next was devastating: doctors had warned him that she might not survive the night.

Following the birth, Brie had suffered a placental abruption, followed by catastrophic bleeding and organ failure. Further tests revealed she had streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria, alongside disseminated intravascular coagulation, a rare condition that causes abnormal blood clotting and severe bleeding.

Doctors performed an emergency hysterectomy to save her life. They also discovered that part of her colon had 𝖽𝗂𝖾𝖽, leaving her needing an ostomy bag.

To keep blood flowing to her vital organs, doctors administered powerful medication. But while it helped keep her alive, the reduced circulation began damaging her hands and feet. Her fingers and toes gradually turned black.

Doctors eventually delivered the heartbreaking news to Reid: Brie would need to lose her limbs.

During this unimaginable ordeal, Reid brought their newborn son, whom they named Beau, to see her. Wrapped in breathing tubes and supported by medical equipment, the tiny boy was everything she had been fighting to see.

“Mama loves you,” she whispered.

Five days later, doctors removed her bandages and revealed that the infection had spread further up her arms and legs. Brie knew the decision she faced, however devastating, was necessary if she wanted to watch her children grow up.

“Take them off,” she pleaded.

The following morning, both her arms were amputated above the elbows. Just two weeks later, her right leg was removed at the hip and her left leg above the knee.

Looking at her body after the operations, Brie experienced two emotions at once: overwhelming relief that she had survived, and profound grief for everything she had lost.

She wondered whether she would ever be able to hold her children close again or run around with them as they grew.

Meanwhile, Reid’s parents gently explained to Brooks and Barrett that doctors had needed to remove the parts of their mother’s body that were making her sick.

The boys continued visiting her, and Brooks would ask the same question each time: “When are you coming home?”

“I’ll be home soon, sweetheart,” Brie replied, doing her best to reassure him.

The following month, she began intensive daily physiotherapy. With Beau being cared for by the dedicated NICU nurses, she concentrated on rebuilding her strength and learning to navigate life without her limbs.

She worked on strengthening her core, sitting up without assistance and transferring between her wheelchair and bed. Once her amputation sites had healed, she was fitted with her first pair of hook prosthetics.

In June, after months of treatment and rehabilitation, Brie was finally discharged from hospital in a wheelchair.

Returning home brought a new set of challenges. She continued receiving daily visits from physical and occupational therapists, while also undergoing kidney dialysis four days a week.

But perhaps the biggest adjustment was learning how to be a mother to a growing baby without arms.

Unable to safely hold Beau in the usual way, Brie found her own way to create precious moments with him. While lying in bed, she would cradle him in her forearms and sing the Beatles’ “She Loves You” until he drifted off to sleep.

After plenty of trial and error, she also learned how to feed him with a bottle.

She is now hoping to receive her prosthetic legs, bringing her one step closer to greater independence and the activities she dreams of sharing with her children.

Through every setback, Reid has remained by her side.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she often tells him.

Source: thatslife.com.au