A woman, who thought the stabbing pain in her stomach was due to a bad period, was later rushed to hospital with sepsis that left her dead for eight minutes.
Model Kia Brazil from Milwaukee, in the US, woke up on February 11, 2019, with stabbing pains in her stomach that gradually progressed over several hours.
At the time, 30-year-old Kia thought she was suffering from severe menstrual cramps.
But the pain continued to escalate, and hours later, she was in an ambulance.
When she arrived at the hospital, her blood pressure was dangerously low, and doctors discovered an infection in her stomach which had resulted in sepsis.
As she was being prepared for surgery, her heart stopped three times. She was rushed into surgery, where her left leg had to be amputated.
However, the doctors thought it was too late. Kia was dead for a total of eight minutes, and her family was given the tragic news that there was nothing more they could do.
Luckily, her family refused to accept this, and insisted that Kia must be taken to another hospital for life-saving treatment.
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.
Her family and friends, particularly her children, were devastated, but they and Kia never lost hope.
Determined to get rid of the dead limbs to avoid another infection, Kia’s right leg and several fingers were amputated.
Kia is adamant that her faith in God is what helped her get through this ordeal. She believes that God brought her back from the brink of death, and now her faith is stronger than ever.
After a year of hospital visits and physiotherapy, Kia’s life had started to get back on track.
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.
“I wasn’t aware I had gone septic until it was way too late. Everything happened so fast,” Kia said.
“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.