Denise Dibrell, 52, was coughing so hard at her cousin’s wedding in Tennessee that she could not breathe while lying down. No one imagined that this common symptom was the beginning of a brutal medical chain of events.
Back in Las Vegas, Nevada, she tested positive for influenza A. Hours later, the flu progressed to sepsis and septic shock. Doctors induced her into a coma. Her blood pressure dropped so low that she needed vasopressors to maintain circulation to her vital organs, a process that left her feet without blood flow. For 30 days, while she remained unconscious, her feet turned black, became necrotic, and mummified.
Her mother, Patricia, 76, had to decide whether to remove life support. She said no. Denise woke up 40 days later, on August 18, 2025, and on September 15 both of her legs were amputated below the knee. Today she walks with prosthetic legs and a walker.