Tina Ortiz

On November 30th 2016, I had one of the best days of my life (besides the day I married my best friend). My twins, Amaya and Aiden, were born perfectly at 36 weeks. Fast forward to December 3rd 2016, the worst day for me as well as my family and friends. My husband was awoken in the middle of the night by the nurses and doctors telling him my vitals were not stable and I was having emergency exploratory surgery. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth) At that time, the doctor had found a hole in my intestine that was leaking and I was becoming septic. (Sepsis and Perforated Bowel) The doctor and his team told my husband I had a 50/50 chance of dying. They put me into the ICU. I was there for approximately 2 weeks where they kept me sedated, on a breathing tube, NG tube, and took care of my open wound before they closed it up with a wound vac (OUCH). I also had a temporary ileostomy bag to help my intestine to heal. The ICU team was amazing to both myself and my family.

On December 17, 2016, I was transferred to Hospital for Special Care where I stayed for 2 1/2 weeks. I received physical therapy to gain muscle strength back to be able to walk again. At that time I could only walk using a walker. I also had occupational therapy to help me to return doing my everyday living things such as showering, eating, and holding my babies. The Hospital for Special Care team also taught me how to care for my ileostomy bag, as well as care for my wound.

Altogether, I was away from my home, my husband, my family, but most of all my newborn twins for 5 weeks including Christmas and New Year’s. I was able to return home to my family on January 4, 2017, another amazing day for me.