Woman has all four limbs amputated after catching disease from mist machine at concert
An aspiring model claims she had to have all four of her limbs amputated after contracting Legionnaires' disease from a mist machine at a concert she was attending.
Evelyn Davis of Tyler, Texas, said she attended a music concert in June last year and began feeling incredibly tired over the next few days with a high temperature and a fever.
She was rushed to hospital as her condition worsened and was diagnosed with sepsis and pneumonia.
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The 22-year-old fell into a coma for 16 days and went into full organ failure where she said she had a series of 'wild dreams'.
It was around 10 days into her coma that doctors diagnosed her with Legionnaires' disease, a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water, and believed the cause was the concert's mist machine.
Given drugs to stabilise her blood pressure, by the time she was taken off them 12 days later, the medication had cut off the supply of blood to her hands and feet.
Doctors had told Evelyn's family that she 'wasn't going to recover' and if she ever did wake up, she'd likely have suffered from 'substantial organ damage', but on 2 July, she 'miraculously' awoke.
Later that month, both of her legs were amputated below the knees, her right arm was amputated above her wrist and her left was two inches before her elbow.
While some medical professionals recommended that the 22-year-old be moved to a nursing home, Evelyn made it her goal to stand again and thanks to rehabilitation and therapy, was able to do this by September.
She said: "The doctors told my parents and husband that I wasn't going to recover and if I did ever wake up, I'd have substantial organ damage but I did and all my organs were ok.
"The team [at the hospital] told me that I was literally going to be a miracle, they worked so hard to get me where I needed to be. One doctor said there was a pretty slim chance that I'd walk again.
"At another hospital, one doctor told me that I had 'no potential' and that I just 'needed to be admitted into a nursing home and live my life there because there was nothing left for me'."
The doctor who told her she should be in a nursing home has apologised after seeing how much progress she was making.
Evelyn now goes to occupational and physical therapy twice a week, as well as occasional pool therapy.
She has pin and lock leg prosthetics and two be-bionic hands, which have 14 different hand patterns.
The 22-year-old is hoping to start driving school, become a disabled model and obtain a social work degree so she can become a patient advocate in the future.
Joe Harker