A model died for eight minutes after contracting sepsis which she initially passed off as a really bad period.
Kia Brazil, 30, was rushed to hospital after the stabbing pain in her stomach became intense.
Following her recovery, doctors told her she was dead for nearly 10 minutes after her heart stopped three times as she was being prepared for surgery.
The family members of the woman from Milwaukee, US, were even told the tragic news that there was nothing more medics could do.
But they refused to accept what they heard, and insisted that Kia must be given more life-saving treatment.
Doctors say she died for eight minutes – and her family kept the model alive.
In the second hospital, she was put in a medically induced coma for two weeks until she miraculously woke up on her own.
Kia woke up to see her left leg missing, and her right leg and several fingers were blackened and dead.
She has now written a book about her spiritual experience, titled Surviving Sepsis: A Survivor’s Tale, and has started a career as a model, aiming to increase body diversity in the industry.
“Sepsis caught me off guard,” she said. “I wasn’t aware I had gone septic until it was way too late. Everything happened so fast.
“What I thought was menstrual cramps was actually sepsis taking over my body. I woke up with stomach pains on and off for a few hours, until the pain was so unbearable that I had to have my sister call an ambulance.
“My body locked up completely as the stabbing pains continued.
“Once I got to the hospital, I was put in the waiting room until they couldn’t handle my screams.
“The paramedics had advised on arrival that my blood pressure was extremely low. My vitals were checked, and I was put in an emergency room.
“I had CT scans, and the doctors discovered an infection in my stomach. It was urgent, so they took me into surgery.
“While being prepped for surgery, my blood pressure continued to drop and my heart stopped. I was rushed into surgery, where I received my first amputation.
“During that surgery, I flatlined a total of three times, and was completely dead for eight minutes. The hospital advised my family that there was nothing more they could do.
“My family was adamant about figuring it out, so they reached out to another hospital and began my fight for life. Once I arrived at the second hospital, the fight was down to me. I received some more amputations, but I fought. I was put in a medically induced coma for two weeks.
“I woke up on my own, to see that my left leg was gone and the right leg was completely dead. My fingers were stuck cold, hard and black.
“After seeing the condition sepsis had left my body in, I was determined to get the other dead limbs off to avoid another infection.
“I was given a completely new set of tools to use for the rest of my life. The most difficult part was learning how to use what I had left, and making sure I can still take care of my children the same way.
“I then decided to model, because I wanted to show that people with limb differences are not ‘foreign.’
“I am very confident in my body, soul and mind. After having my amputations, I’ve heard and seen all kinds of things some good and some bad.
“It doesn’t affect me, but there are so many people that look different and won’t leave their house because the world can be so mean. I clearly do well under pressure, and I don’t care what people think of me. I love my body, like everyone should.
“So my goal with modelling is to open the door for the children with limb differences who are afraid that they can’t live a normal life.”