The Texas mom has a four-time amputee, and credits her faith and a small dog for pulling her up
A Texas mom-of-two says she has God and her little dog to thank for helping her overcome the greatest struggle of her life.
Wendy Adkins of Blooming Grove, Texas, age 44, amputee; Her limb removal was the result of complications arising from a surgical procedure she had performed.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Adkins said she underwent a nerve decompression procedure on the back of her neck on October 10, 2019 to relieve her migraines.
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Twelve days after the procedure, on October 22, Adkins was flown to Dallas and placed into a medically induced coma after developing sepsis due to bacteria in her incision.
She said Adkins was in a coma for 14 days before she woke up and saw her hands and feet had turned black.
Her hands, left leg and part of her right foot were missing, after an operation gone wrong. (Wendy Adkins)
She also said this was due to the excessive use of inhibitors to keep blood pumping to her organs, eventually drawing blood away from her extremities.
“Unfortunately, there was no blood flow to the extremities once I got up,” she said.
“So, we had to amputate.”
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Adkins lost both hands, part of her right foot, and her left leg six inches below the knee.
Wendy Adkins enjoys the beach from her chaise longue. (Wendy Adkins)
“In the beginning, when I really understood everything that was going on, it was really hard,” she said. “I got really depressed.”
“Sitting around feeling sorry for myself was not an option.”
She said that Adkins’ belief in God eventually helped lift her out of depression. She said she knew that if she surrendered, she would also give up her children.
“And they are my everything,” she said of her 21-year-old twins.
At left, Adkins and her chiween, Mazie, snuggle in bed. On the right, Adkins is shown with her husband and children. (Wendy Adkins)
“Between my faith and my family, I decided I needed to give it to God and do what I could to get over what happened.”
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Married for 22 years, Adkins admitted that if she hadn’t reclaimed her faith, she wouldn’t be where she is today.
Wendy Adkins and her husband attend their son and daughter’s graduation ceremony. (Wendy Adkins)
“Sitting around feeling sorry for myself was not an option,” she said. “I knew I had to get up and do it…if I wanted to be near my family.”
Adkins slowly begins to regain her independence. She practiced walking with her prosthetic legs a little farther each day.
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While she attributes her resilience to the strength of God, Adkins also received a lot of help from a little dog named Mazie.
“She’s not a dog — she’s a member of the family.”
The 2-year-old puppy Chewyni served as an emotional support animal for Adkins, who knew when she started searching that she wanted a small dog to help her adjust.
Adkins cuddles her dog, Mazie, in the hospital bed after a recent procedure. (Wendy Adkins)
Adkins’ mother found a woman who was selling Chiweenies locally and told the breeder her daughter’s story.
Adkins said the breeder agreed to sell then-six-week-old Mazie to Adkins and her mom for just two bags of pig food.
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Quiet and sweet, she said, Mazie accompanies Adkins “everywhere”, and is always in tune with her owner’s feelings.
“It’s like she knows I’m having a bad day,” she said. “You’ll just come into my lap and love me.”
She has been given away, Mazie, and Wendy Adkins in exchange for two bags of pig food. (Wendy Adkins)
Adkins said that Mazie is great at making her laugh when she’s feeling down, which has helped her “really more than anything”.
“She’s not a dog – she’s family,” she added.
“It’s worth a lot to me. I don’t know if I would be as happy as I am today if I didn’t have it.”
“She’s mama’s baby.”
When Adkins cries,”[Mazi] She comes up nose to nose with me and puts a leg on each side and hugs me.”
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Adkins emphasized the emotional benefits of therapy that pets can provide for people with disabilities.
She said the Adkins children kept her alive while she struggled with depression – giving her purpose. (Wendy Adkins)
She laughed: “It’s mama’s baby.”
Adkins recently underwent a procedure called a muscle flap implant that reconstructed her heel.
While Adkins still maneuvers her entire life as a quadruple amputee, she hopes to scrape together enough money to purchase i-Limb Quantum bionic hands, which give users the ability to move all five fingers.
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For anyone interested, donations can be made through a GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/medical-necessities-and-hands.