Teacher's limbs turn 'black and mummified' after cold becomes deadly infection

04 March 2024 , 11:41

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Sherri Moody, a high school teacher, fell ill while on a routine field trip (Image: Facebook)

A high school teacher had to go through quadruple amputations after her routine flu-like symptoms during a field trip turned into a dire medical emergency.

Sherri Moody, 51, a long-time educator who lives in suburban Houston, Texas, was accompanying her students on a field trip to an amusement park in April 2023, when she began feeling unwell. Initially attributing her symptoms to a typical seasonal cold, Sherri's condition rapidly deteriorated, alarming both her and her husband, David Moody.

The teacher's fever spiked, she struggled to breathe, and she was vomiting, until she decided to seek urgent medical attention. Sherri recalled: "I've never gone to the ER before in my life. I was very healthy, very in shape. I ate right, exercised..."

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The infection progressed to sepsis and septic shock, endangering her life (Facebook)

Supported by her husband, Moody remains determined and optimistic (Facebook)

Doctors diagnosed her with double pneumonia, a severe lung infection caused by Streptococcus bacteria. But despite always being of robust health and fitness, the woman's immune system couldn't battle the infection that was progressing triggering sepsis and septic shock.

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Her husband, David, described the "complete, utter shock" as doctors scrambled to stabilise his wife's deteriorating condition. He said: "I had to Google what sepsis was. I had no idea. We’re pretty healthy people. I recognized real quick that we were in a severe situation. I was scared to pieces."

Within days, Sherri's kidneys and lungs began shutting down, as her condition was exacerbated by medication she was taking for rheumatoid arthritis, which eased symptoms of the autoimmune disorder by suppressing the immune system. David recalled her ideas as "like a category 5 hurricane coming in."

Moody was diagnosed with double pneumonia caused by Streptococcus bacteria (Facebook)

Doctors recommended quadruple amputations due to severe limb damage (Facebook)

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"She had nothing to fight with. It's like she went to war with no soldiers," he said. Sherri, who has a grown son, was placed in a medically induced coma as doctors treated her with drugs to attempt to return blood flow to her vital organs.

But that came at the expense of her arms and legs, with her limbs beginning to change colours. Her husband recalled: "I literally watched my wife’s feet and hands die... They were black and they were mummified."

In a bid to save her life, doctors were left with no choice but to recommend quadruple amputations, which saw Sherri's arms and legs amputated below the elbow and knees.

Despite crying at first, Sherri said she felt calm despite the huge life change. Her amputations were carried out in June, 2023, with Sherri able to return home by August. Months of gruelling rehabilitation followed, punctuated by numerous setbacks and complications.

Despite her prior robust health, Moody's immune system struggled to fight the infection (Facebook)

But through it all, Sherri's husband was by her side. The pair were high school sweethearts who graduated from the same high school where Sherri was teaching. Now, they're adjusting to their new lives together with David leaving his job to care for Sherri full-time.

Despite the immense challenges she faced, Sherri remained determined to embrace life with a positive outlook. As she prepares for yet another daunting surgery to address lingering issues stemming from the infection, Sherri and her husband draw strength from their shared journey.

Sherri said: "I’m very mentally strong. I just choose to be happy. … It’s not to say that I don’t have a breakdown every now and then and just cry a little bit. I don’t let it last long. I’m a lot stronger than what I ever even thought I was."

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And her husband affirmed: "She is just amazing. I’ve had more struggles. This is the most difficult thing that I’ve ever gone through in my life. Both of us together talk about our blessings. We talk about the things that are going right in our day, in our lives."

Vassia Barba