An Ohio woman has revealed that she lost all of her limbs after letting her pet dog lick her.
Just days after Marie Trainer returned from her holiday, she called in sick for work with symptoms of backache and nausea.
After her temperature kept rising and falling, she was sent to an emergency room on 10 May, 2019.
Just a day later, the mum was rushed to Alliance Community Hospital and began fighting for her life.
Advert
As well as reporting excruciating hand and leg pain a few days on, Trainer was forced to go on life support because she was struggling to breathe.
On 13 May she was told that due to a mysterious infection attacking vessels in her arms, hands, legs and feet, all four of her limbs would have to be removed for any chance of survival.
"In the early evening of 13 May Marie was loaded into a helicopter and life-flighted to Cleveland MICU," her GoFundMe read.
"The following morning the family was given the same grave news that to survive Marie would have to have amputations of her arms and legs.
"To keep her close to home, family and the doctors we know the decision was made to bring her back to Aultman.
"En route to Aultman from Cleveland we received a call that the mystery had reared its face - capnocytophaga canimorsus."
This bacteria is found in the saliva of cats and dogs and can be fatal for humans if they are infected.
Doctors think the bacteria entered Trainer's system when her German Shepherd licked the wound on her hand when she came back from holiday.
Five years on, Trainer has been fitted with unique, high-tech myoelectric prosthetics.
"It’s been challenging," Trainer told Fox 8. "Learning how to walk was the hardest thing, but I’m good, I’m doing good."
Dr Ajay Seth, who delivered the amputation, added: "It was just rapidly progressing where her hands and feet were turning black."
"We see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Trainer's husband of 37 years, Matt, said: "When I see her walk it’s like, 'Oh my God this is amazing'.
"We see the light at the end of the tunnel, we just adjust what we have to do, it just takes more planning when we want to do something."
"To see the progress she’s made in five years it’s like miraculous, it’s unbelievable how far she’s come," Dr Seth added.
After her GoFundMe has raised nearly half of the $100k target, Trainer said: "I cannot believe how everybody has come forward to help and even people I don’t know from other states, and it’s unbelievable the people that have come out to help. I just don’t know how to thank them all."
Anish Vij