An 18-month-old girl, Mady Loden, required bilateral leg amputations and partial fingertip removal after contracting a common infection that led to septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The critical turn of events began in October 2023 when her mother, Kory Loden, noticed Mady seemed unusually lethargic.
What initially appeared to be a mild illness quickly escalated. By that evening, Mady had developed a fever, and her lips and feet began turning purple, prompting a visit to Urgent Care. From there, she was transferred by ambulance to a local hospital and subsequently airlifted to a children's hospital due to her rapidly deteriorating condition.
During her transfer, Mady's condition worsened to the point that medical personnel requested verbal permission to resuscitate her if necessary, a moment her mother described as terrifying. Upon arrival at the children's hospital, Mady was placed on life support, a measure deemed necessary for her survival. Doctors explained she was suffering from septic shock and DIC, a rare blood clotting disorder that can cause organ damage and bleeding, a complication arising from a serious medical condition.
Doctors discovered Mady has asplenia, a condition where the spleen is absent or non-functional. The spleen plays a crucial role in fighting off bacteria, and its absence made Mady highly susceptible to severe infections. The infection Mady contracted was identified as strep pneumonia, which her body, lacking a spleen, could not fight off effectively.
The realization that Mady had asplenia came as a shock to her mother, who had undergone numerous ultrasounds during pregnancy without the condition being detected. The days that followed were a blur of procedures, including dialysis for kidney failure. Mady eventually survived and was taken off life support six days later.
However, the infection had caused poor blood flow to her extremities, leading to the decision to amputate both her legs in December of that year. Several fingertips were also removed due to lack of viability.
While Mady is now thriving and has learned to walk with prosthetic legs, the ordeal significantly impacted her. For a period, she was subdued and withdrawn. Due to her asplenia, she remains at severe risk for infections and will be on prophylactic antibiotics for life, requiring immediate hospital visits for any fever to preemptively treat potential bacterial infections.
Despite the challenges, Mady is described as resilient, often not remembering the trauma. She has adapted well to her limitations, demonstrating a capacity for figuring out how to achieve her goals. Recently, she reacted with excitement to a photograph of herself with legs, as if rediscovering that part of her past.
