Claire Bridges flatlined three times, lost both legs and had a failing heart
Claire Bridges’ laugh is contagious and is always bright, happy, and even silly. But, photographs can’t quite convey her bright, optimistic aura. Claire Bridges, who is 21 years old, has a mature spirit that astounds both those who love her and the medical professionals who had to operate on her heart and amputate both of her legs to preserve her life.
“I tell all my patients that’s half the battle,” said Dr. Dean Arnaoutakis, a vascular surgeon at the University of South Florida Health in Tampa who amputated Bridges’ legs as a result of problems from Covid-19.
Bridges’ heart was operated on by Dr. Ismail El-Hamamsy, a professor of cardiovascular surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. “Most people would be hopeless and feel like life had betrayed them,” he added.
“Yet she admitted to me that she believed herself to be the luckiest person on earth. My entire life is still in front of me. I can look forward to having children, a future, and many other things.
He remarked, “There was never a moment when I gazed into her eyes where I didn’t feel her positivity was pure and genuine. “Claire’s story is one of the most amazing positivity and resiliency.
My body just literally wouldn’t give up
Bridges, a 20-year-old model in St. Petersburg, Florida, has her own apartment, a large group of friends, and a part-time job serving drinks in January 2022. Her mother, Kimberly Smith, described her as “exceptionally healthy” and a vegan.
Nobody expected her to end up in the hospital when she contracted Covid-19 that month. She received the necessary shots and boosters.
However, Bridges was born with aortic valve stenosis, a mutation of the valve of the aorta, the major artery of the heart, which is a common genetic heart condition. Those with aortic valve stenosis frequently have just two cusps, or flaps, instead of the normal three that allows oxygen-rich blood to pass from the heart into the aorta and to the rest of the body. The illness makes the heart work exceedingly hard to complete its job, which frequently results in shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and exhaustion.
Claire Bridges told CNN, “I could exercise and whatnot, but I could never play sports. “I was unable to run. I couldn’t push myself too hard.
We could really tell she started to learn her boundaries as she grew older because she would stop when she ran out of breath, according to her mother.
Covid-19 impacted Bridges hard, whether it was her heart or some other unidentified factor. Her health rapidly got out of hand.
Severe exhaustion and chilly chills made it increasingly difficult to try to eat or drink anything, she recounted. Then, one day, my mother discovered me unconscious and took me to the hospital. Three times that evening, I passed out.
Bridges were put on a ventilator, a dialysis regimen, and an external heart pump. She started to go crazy.
She added, “I was thinking that everyone was attempting to murder me, but I was holding on,” and she later saw her late grandfather and a bright light.
He was fishing while perched on a seat, she said, and he was sporting a baseball cap. “I then looked out the window and saw my parents. I’m not sure if I genuinely said “I can’t leave them like this” or if that was just a part of my illusion. And my body simply refused to give up.
When physicians battled to save Bridges’ life, her spirit continued to fight. Systems started to malfunction, severely weakening her already weakened heart. Her legs’ tissues started to deteriorate because her extremities weren’t getting enough blood.
Her legs were saved as much as possible by the surgeons. They removed one ankle after first reducing edema by opening tissue in both legs. Ultimately, there was no other option but to cut off both legs.
To deliver the bad news, doctors gathered around her bed.
“I can still picture myself turning to face them and thanking them for saving my life. And may I please have bionic legs? Added Bridges.
Everyone was astonished by how nicely her daughter was handling the situation, according to Smith. But everyone in my family understood that Claire would be the one to handle this catastrophe the best if it happened to any of us. Claire is upbeat and optimistic in that way.
Checking off her bucket list
Bridges’ battle to regain her health continued even after she lost her legs. She could have passed away from “so many things” while she was in the hospital, according to Smith.
Bridges, who was underweight, was given a feeding tube. Smith claimed that she “almost bled out” after vomiting, rupturing a portion of her small intestine. Due to her frail heart, physicians had to perform an urgent transfusion in order to save her.
She nearly passed out while receiving the emergency transfusion because the blood had to be pumped in so quickly, according to Smith. She bled again the following day, but this time, it was discovered quickly.
Refeeding syndrome is a disorder wherein a starving body’s electrolytes, minerals, and other critical fluids are thrown out of balance when food is reintroduced, causing seizures, muscle and heart weakness, and in severe cases, a coma was developed by Bridges. It can cause organ failure and death if not treated quickly.