Kentucky Mom Who Loses Arms & Legs After Kidney Stone Infection Praises God for 'Miracle' Survival

(Photo Courtesy: GoFundMe)

A Lexington, Kentucky mom is giving glory to God even after a kidney stone infection led doctors to amputate both of her legs above the knee, and she's expected to lose both of her hands as well.

Lucinda "Cindy" Mullins just arrived home from the hospital over the weekend wearing a "Jesus Love You" shirt, after enduring a month-long, life-threatening, traumatic health crisis.

It all started when Mullins was diagnosed with kidney stones over a year ago. A urologist removed a kidney stone from the 41-year-old in October. The other kidney stone located in her right kidney did not require immediate surgery, but doctors placed a stent to help waste move from her kidney to her bladder. 

After the stent was removed, a few days later Mullins began to feel sick. 

She developed excruciating pain in her kidney, her back, had a fever, and was vomiting.

Her husband, DJ, drove her to Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital in Stanford, KY, where learned she had sepsis – the immune system's extreme attempt to fight an infection, which can cause organ failure and death. 

"It was a perfect storm – over a kidney stone," Mullins told WLEX. 

The diagnosis could mean death if she wasn't treated. 

The mom of two was transferred to UK HealthCare hospital in Lexington, KY.

Mullins was placed on a ventilator, given dialysis, and sedated as doctors worked to treat her condition. 

Physicians gave her medication to help blood flow to her vital organs, but that meant that less blood was flowing to the arteries in her hands and legs. 

After a week of treatment, her organs were healthy, but her arms and legs had died and would require amputation.

Mullins told ABC News, "When they told me that was going to happen, that I was going to lose my hands and my feet, I wasn't angry. I had a peace about me. I just felt God's presence saying, 'It's going to be OK. You're alive. This is what has happened,' and I wasn't upset about it."

The following day, she underwent surgery to amputate her legs above the knee. She will get both of her arms amputated below her elbow joints in the coming weeks. 

"If that was the sacrifice that I had to make to be alive," the former nurse shared, "I was okay with it."

Mullins returned to her hometown with a warm welcome last Friday and she couldn't wait to attend church on Sunday. 

"The hardest part about this is I miss my children, of course," Mullins told "Good Morning America." "Without my faith, I don't think I could be where I'm at today. The plan is on Sunday morning, I'm going to church, and I cannot wait for that."

Mullins has a long road ahead as she is currently progressing in physical therapy and will eventually be fitted for prosthetics. But she shares she is beyond grateful to be alive. 
 

"Doctors tell me they can't put a percentage on how close I was to actually dying, and then me doing as well as I am after being on ventilator, ECMO, and dialysis... for me to be doing that well, as fast I did, is yet another miracle," Mullins said.

Mullins is also grateful for the flood of support she has received from friends who raised money to cover medical expenses to others who prayed her through her recovery. 

"That has kind of been hard for me to wrap my head around," she said. "I'm a normal person, and for these people to do those things for me is just, you know, that's another God thing."

To date, a GoFundMe campaign started for Mullins has raised more than $260,000 of its $300,000 goal. 

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