GhPageNewsAustralian socialite gets her feet amputated after a mosquito bite on her...

Australian socialite gets her feet amputated after a mosquito bite on her ankle in Nigeria 

- Advertisement -

Stephenie Rodriguez, an Australian socialite, has described how she had 36 surgeries and both feet amputated after contracting cerebral malaria while on business in Lagos, Nigeria.

In 2019, the 52-year-old single mother travelled to Lagos after being invited to speak at a business event for travel executives.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the socialite was invited to a photoshoot next to a puddle of stagnant water during the gathering. A mosquito-bitten her three times on her left ankle while she was there.

Ms Rodriguez became weak and exhausted a few days after returning from India, and she was admitted to the hospital after struggling to eat and drink. An infectious diseases specialist diagnosed her with cerebral malaria.

After being given Artesunate, a dr*g used to treat severe malaria, doctors gave her a 2% chance of survival.

Australian socialite gets her feet amputated after a mosquito bite on her ankle in Nigeria 

Doctors used vasopressor drugs to redirect blood flow from her limbs to her vital organs in a last-ditch effort to save her life.

“It was the last trick in the bag, and they cautioned my family that if I survived, there would be collateral damage. The vasopressors robbed my feet and hands, the things furthest from my heart, of blood and like frostbite, the areas without blood and oxygen began to die,” she said.

The dr*gs caused necrosis on her feet and hands, and she saw her toe fall off into her fingers at one point. After being transported back to Australia, doctors informed her that she would need an above-the-knee amputation as well as the amputation of numerous fingers.

“It was horrible, absolutely horrible. Completely unimaginable,’ she said.

Horrified by the thought of losing her legs, she postponed the treatment, opting instead to have repeated skin transplants and surgeries to see if her health would improve. Her remaining toes, however, had to be severed at some point.

“It’s bizarre, but I had to cut my feet off to walk again,” she said.

Join our WhatsApp Channel

TODAY

Friday, March 29, 2024
Accra
few clouds
81 ° F
81 °
81 °
94 %
0.6mph
20 %
Fri
88 °
Sat
88 °
Sun
88 °
Mon
88 °
Tue
86 °

Free Newsletter

Get Ghana Latest News in your inbox each morning.

TRENDING