This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
On January 9, 2020, Victoria Mugo, a 38-year-old Kenyan woman living in Aurora, Colorado, was rushed to the emergency room with pneumonia. Within hours, she was in septic shock, a toxic response to the infection.
Victoria's condition was dire, with an 80% chance of not surviving, according to Carolyn Golas, Sepsis Coordinator at The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA). She was put in a coma and on life support, and blood flow to her extremities slowed down.
When Victoria woke up, her hands and legs were dying, and all four were eventually amputated. However, thanks to the quick medical attention, she is alive and grateful.
Victoria's faith in God is her strength, and she credits Him for bringing her this far. She is now walking on prosthetic legs and is grateful to be alive.
According to TMCA, sepsis is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., killing more than 250,000 patients per year. In Colorado, nearly 12,000 people are diagnosed with sepsis each year, and nearly 3,000 do not survive.
