Perth mother’s urgent warning after losing her legs and unborn baby
<p>A Perth mother has given a grave warning to others, after she lost her unborn baby, was forced to have her legs amputated and almost lost her life to sepsis.</p>
<p>Leana Stendell admitted doctors did not expect her to live, however the woman is still here to share her inspirational story of survival.</p>
<p>“He wrote in his notes that I wasn’t going to make it, make the night... but I did!” the woman admitted<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/" target="_blank">7NEWS</a> </em>about her doctor.</p>
<p>Stendell revealed she had woken up one morning vomiting and just 12 hours later she was in a coma, which is where she stayed for 12 days.</p>
<p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841550/leana-stendell-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a5715d443fb3447682b0c4af34af2bf1" /></p>
<p>The woman sadly lost her son, who was delivered as a stillborn at just 33 weeks.</p>
<p>“I think for my family, that was traumatic because I was asleep, so I don’t have any memory of that and they are there holding that memory instead,” she said.</p>
<p>The Perth mum had Strep A, but it progressed so quickly that she developed sepsis.</p>
<p>It was the same infection that took the life of bubbly seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath at Perth Children’s Hospital.</p>
<p>“Sepsis is a time-critical emergency, where the body’s response to an infection can cause shock or organ failure or death,” Royal Perth Hospital Jonathon Burcham said.</p>
<p>The mother of two spent four months in hospital, and in that time her legs were amputate just below the knee.</p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841551/leana-stendell-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/307c6b1921c44551b0dbc693d20473e5" /></p>
<p>“I remember making that choice that I was going to be okay, and I was going to be happy,” she said.</p>
<p>There are 55,000 cases of sepsis every year in Australia and 8700 deaths – more than seven times the national road toll.</p>
<p>Stendell says that despite her losses, she has gained a brighter outlook on life.</p>
<p>“More so now I’m just grateful and I see the happiness and joy in things and that’s where I want to be,” Stendell said.</p>
<p><em>Image: 7News</em></p>
