Page 8 - The Friday Flyer • June 26, 2015

A-8 THE FRIDAY FLYER JUNE 26, 2015 Amy stands strong after losing feet and hand
BY DONNA RITCHIE
COLUMNIST, THE FRIDAY FLYER
Canyon Lake resident Amy Martinez is a wife and mother of two small chil- dren. She is also a fighter, survivor and recent triple amputee.
For 27-year-old Amy Martinez, Feb- ruary 24, 2015 started off just like any other day. By the end of the day, Amy’s life would be forever changed. By the end of May, Amy would have both legs and her right hand amputated.
Amy, a personal assistant for a pro- motional company in Santa Ana, was at work on the afternoon of February 24 when she started to have excruciat- ing pain in her lower stomach. Her boss excused her from work early. The pain in her stomach became so unbearable on the drive home from work that she phoned her husband, Ryan, to let him know she was going to Urgent Care.
A urine sample was taken at Urgent Care. The sample tested positive for a kidney stone, which is a hard, crystal- line mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract. Having had a kidney stone in the past, Amy knew there wasn’t much the doctor could do; she just had to wait for the kidney stone to pass. The doctor gave her some pain medication and sent her on her way.
The next day, February 25, she was out of it for most of the day. She was still very much in pain and could not get up without assistance.
On Thursday, February 26, Amy called her work to say she was still sick and would not be going to work. She tried to carry on with her day but it was impossible; she was in too much pain and couldn’t stop shaking. Later that day, she noticed that her toes were turn- ing blue and that the tips of her fingers
were changing colors, too.
“I thought it was just an allergic re-
action to the medicine the doctor pre- scribed me,” says Amy. She was going to wait for Ryan to come home from work to take her to the hospital, but she decided to call her mother instead. That decision saved her life. By the time she and her mother arrived in the emergency room, Amy’s lips had turned blue and she could not speak. The nurse imme- diately recognized that Amy was going into septic shock.
Sepsis can be caused by bacterial, fungal or viral infections. Septic shock is a medical condition that results from severe infection and sepsis. According to the U.S. National Library of Medi- cine, “Septic Shock is a serious condi- tion that occurs when a body-wide in- fection leads to dangerously low blood pressure. Septic shock has a high death rate. The death rate depends on the pa- tient’s age and overall health, the cause of the infection, how many organs have failed, and how quickly and aggressive- ly medical therapy is started.
Respiratory failure, cardiac failure or any other organ failure can occur. Gan- grene may also occur, possibly lead- ing to amputation. Prompt treatment of bacterial infections is helpful. However, many cases of septic shock cannot be prevented.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sep- sis ranges from less to more severe. As sepsis worsens, blood flow to vital or-
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Amy Martinez practices walking with her new prosthetics. The young Canyon Lake mother had to have both feet and one hand amputated after she suffered septic shock in February.
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PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AMY MARTINEZ