In June 2015, Alecia Kennen tripped over her dog and sustained a small rug burn on her right shoulder. Shortly after, she noticed a sharp pain develop under her right armpit.
Alecia, a 37-year-old Wisconsin mother raising three boys on her own, never could have imagined that a simple case of rug burn would nearly take her life within the week.
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When the pain underneath her right arm became unbearable, Alecia rushed herself to the hospital. Upon her arrival, the entire medical staff knew she was in grave danger.
Within days, Alecia was fighting for her life in the ICU. She had internal bleeding. Her lungs were filling up with fluid. Her vital organs were shutting down. And with limited blood flow and oxygen to her limbs, her feet were literally turning black.
Doctors performed an exploratory surgery to see if they could find the root cause of her illness, but it didn't work. With no clear diagnosis, they prepared her family for the worst.
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It wasn't until one of Alecia's sons mentioned his sore throat that the doctors made a realization.
As it turned out, Alecia was battling a rather common illness that many of us have experienced at one time or another — but in her (rare) case, it cost her her leg, toes, and fingers.
