On September 2023, Amber DeWitt, 23, was about to give birth to his son, Weston, in a Dallas hospital. She had to be rushed to an emergency C-section due to Weston being in a stuck breach position. After his son was born, Amber never expected to return to the hospital as quickly as she did. This time, however, it was because a flesh-eating bacteria was threatening her life.
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Once Amber arrived home with Weston, she noticed that her incision hadn't stopped hurting. Not only that, but the pain was increasing little by little. "I couldn't go to the toilet, so they knew my organs were shutting down," she told the Daily Mail.
Eventually, Amber came back to the hospital. Doctors said that she had a minor bacterial infection and prescribed her some antibiotics. "They suggested I put a sanitary towel over the wound to help with the moisture," she said. "In hindsight, I feel like that might have made bacteria breed more." And she wasn't wrong. The pain didn't stop and became unbearable.
This led to Amber going back to the hospital for a third time, and this time doctors detected a worrying infection. Amber DeWitt had developed sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis. According to the National Library of Medicine, necrotizing fasciitis is a fast-acting and aggressive infection that causes necrosis - cell death - of the muscle fascia and subcutaneous tissues.
The Road To Recovery
Apparently, the infection was a result of the C-section incision. Quicky, doctors put Amber in an induced coma that lasted for three days. During this time, they performed two operations on her to prevent any more damage from taking place. "They had to stop it spreading before it hit my vital organs," Amber said. "I don't remember anything during this time."
Doctors removed the dying tissue during surgery which left Amber with a three-inch deep and two-inch open wound. Before the second surgery, doctors said that Amber's chances of survival were unlikely. "Doctors didn't think I'd make it through the night," she said. "I had a newborn baby and my husband was saying his goodbyes."
However, Amber was able to beat the odds, and she woke up three days after the surgery, to the amazement of everyone around her. After she recovered in intensive care and a ward, Amber was discharged and was able to spend time with her family, especially his baby, Weston.
Recovery wasn't easy. Amber struggled with the fact that she couldn't hold her baby due to her wounds. However, the support of her family and her incredible resilience made her strong during her recovery. "I'm so grateful to be here, and to be able to watch my son grow up," she said. "I was lucky to have such amazing support around me."
