After contracting toxic shock syndrome, one Indiana woman is fighting for her life.
Anna Norquist was a perfect and healthy 30-year-old who loved gymnastics.
But that all changed when she contracted the feared toxic shock syndrome.
Her life quickly changed after she became a patient at Methodist Hospital — resulting in quite a few limb amputations.
On December 14, Anna was jut getting back from a concert in Chicago when it all happened.
“She was in Chicago on Friday, went to a concert, stayed through Saturday and drove home Sunday,” Gordon Norquist, Anna’s father shared with Fox 59.
“She didn’t feel well and thought she was getting flu-like symptoms. Then, by Monday, she was fighting for her life,” Gordon continued.
Doctors have yet to discover how exactly Anna contracted the condition but they do think it was due to an infection that was caused by Streptococcus.
Streptococcus is the same bacteria that causes strep throat.
“They don’t know and probably will never know exactly where the infection entered,” Gordon said. “They think it was the right arm and that’s probably why they took it first.
Anna has since lost her right arm, left leg and is scheduled to have her left hand amputated as soon is she is stable enough due to the infection spreading. She has already had 10 surgeries and is expected to go through with a few more in the near future.
“She has had compartmental surgery on both of her arms and both of her legs. She is sliced open from head to toe. At best, she will have multiple surgeries and multiple amputations,” her family shared on a GoFundMe that was created to help with medical costs.
Toxic shock syndrome is a complication of certain types of bacterial infections, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some of the risk factors include recent surgery, open wounds, and most times — the use of super-absorbent tampons.
Anna’s family is hopeful that she will make a recovery soon, despite her declining health.
“She’s a beautiful person, she has a fighting spirit,” Gordon continued to share. “None of the doctors expected her to survive and she is remarkable.”
“This is going to be a shock for her and a real adjustment,” Gordon went on.
Patrick Norquist, Anna’s brother, also shared a bit about his sister’s condition, sharing, “It’s been devastating.
“But I have to try to remain grateful that they were able to save her life. We can deal with life,” Patrick shared with TODAY.
“Doctors said we had an absolute miracle that she lived through what happened.”
“It got so bad that after about 24 hours, she couldn’t even lift her head up to take a sip of water. Her kidneys hurt, she couldn’t urinate,” Patrick said, remembering what it was like to watch his sister prior to being admitted to the hospital.
It is expected that Anna will remain in the hospital for the next four to six months.
If you feel led to help Anna and her family with medical costs, you can click here to donate to the Go Fund Me page.
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