A mother-of-four who dismissed a New Year's Day sniffle as a bout of flu woke up in hospital days later to discover she had lost all four of her limbs. Cassandra Marshall, 35, fell ill at the end of 2023, but her condition rapidly deteriorated into a life-threatening case of septic shock.
From Flu to Fight for Life
Septic shock is the final and most severe stage of sepsis, occurring when the body's immune system overreacts to an infection. This can cause organ failure and a perilous drop in blood pressure. For Marshall, what began as flu symptoms escalated catastrophically. Her husband was forced to call emergency services when she awoke unable to breathe.
She was airlifted to a hospital in North Carolina, where her heart stopped twice. Medical staff resuscitated her before placing her on life support. Doctors later identified the cause as a combined infection of strep and influenza, which had triggered the septic shock.
A Drastic Turn and Quadruple Amputation
To save her life, Marshall was connected to an ECMO machine, which took over her respiratory function. While the machine helped her lungs recover, the septic shock had a devastating side effect: it cut off the blood supply to her limbs. Doctors were left with no choice but to perform a quadruple amputation.
In an interview last year, Marshall recalled that her legs were amputated first. She then suffered a major medical emergency – she 'coded' – before surgeons could operate on her arms. A few days later, once she was stronger, the lower half of both her arms was removed. Marshall has said that while losing her legs was traumatic, mourning the loss of her arms was harder because it meant she could no longer hold her children.
Adapting to a New Reality
Two years on, the mother is adapting to her new life. She has learned to use a prosthetic arm and gets around in a wheelchair. However, significant challenges remain. Marshall no longer qualifies for Medicaid and has been denied disability support four times.
Each advanced robotic prosthetic limb costs around $19,000, leaving her facing enormous out-of-pocket expenses. Her community has rallied around her, setting up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help purchase a second prosthetic arm, with the hope of eventually funding robotic legs. This support would grant her greater independence, allowing her to care for her four children and drive again.
Despite the unimaginable hardship, Marshall maintains a perspective of gratitude. She told local media she feels 'blessed' to be alive and is supported by a strong network of family and friends. 'You feel like you’re in a dream, but when you wake up, it’s your reality,' she said. 'There is nothing I can change. I am learning to accept it.' Her primary motivation remains her children, whose milestones she is determined not to miss.
