Surviving the Flu

For one college student, H1N1 was real and nearly took her life | The Columbus Dispatch

Unfortunately, she was not the only patient to have this complication. Influenza can be a very serious disease even for

someone that has no prior existing health problems. She survived, but her life will never be the same.

Ludwin was one of the first people in Columbus to suffer from a severe case of H1N1 flu. She was admitted to the hospital on Oct. 17, 2009, with no known conditions that put her at high risk of complications. But within a day, Ludwin's parents were calling extended family and preparing for the possibility that their daughter, then 23, wouldn't survive.

...reduced blood flow to her extremities led to gangrene. Her hands and feet were dying.

...she lost both legs a few inches below the knee. She lost all of her fingers on her left hand. On her right, she was able to keep part of her fingers and all of her thumb.

(hat tip pfi/monotreme)