“In 2012, my mum passed away after a battle with bowel and bladder cancer . A few months later (August) I was experiencing bowel issues and decided to get everything checked out, I had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis (severe inflammation of the colon) and given steroids and anti inflammatories. Within 2 weeks I was in the Emergency Department of Logan Hospital QLD.
Fast forward a week and suddenly I was in an induced coma from an undiagnosed bowel perforation resulting in multiple organ failure, sepsis and I was given a 5% chance of survival.
I was transferred to Prince Charles Hospital and placed on ECMO, of which only 30% of people survive…and that I did.
After 9 days in a coma I woke up, very heavily drug induced but awake due to the sepsis and having to be on ECMO my hands and feet had started to die off and on the 11th of October 2012 both legs were amputated and on 26th November 2012 I had the first of many surgeries on my hands/arms and became a quadruple amputee.
I spent 233 days in 3 different hospitals, had more than 25 surgeries and not only lost my legs, right hand and fingers off my left hand I’d lost my entire large colon and had an ileostomy bag.
I absolutely HATED that bag, more so than losing my limbs as it was something I couldn’t manage with not having 2 hands and personally I found it so degrading.
I was initially told to ‘suck it up’ by certain professionals until 1 day in 2014 I met a colorectal surgeon who offered to ‘try’ remove it for me…for free!
He gifted me the surgery that literally saved my life, my relationship and my mental health and I’ll be eternally grateful to him!
So we fast forward a few years and it brings me to today…I’m happier and healthier than I’ve ever been, I’m also heavier but hey we can’t have everything can we?
My partner Craig, who stood by me through the good, the bad and the ugly proposed in September 2017 (in front of Richie McCaw ?but that’s a whole other story), we moved back to NZ in May 2018 and we’re currently building our forever home.
I now dedicate my time to speaking about resilience, mindset and overcoming adversity in schools and workplaces.
I’m a mentor and an ambassador and enjoy giving back
The opportunities I’ve had , the amazing people I have in my life and continue to meet and to know I might be impacting lives through my speaking, mentoring and ambassador work all contribute to me being eternally grateful for going through all I have and I’m truly looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
Please feel free to follow my journey on www.facebook.com/korrinlivingpossibility
