“When I look in the mirror, my eyes fill with tears,” Trisha Stevens, now paralyzed from her lower back down, says

NEED TO KNOW

• Mom of six Trisha Stevens has filed a lawsuit after she developed sepsis following a hysterectomy
• Stevens underwent multiple amputations and became paralyzed after she claims doctors were negligent in providing prompt care, according to the lawsuit
• The Portland, Ore., mom is seeking $68.5 million in damages from her medical providers

An Oregon woman underwent multiple amputations and is now paralyzed from the lower back down after she claims her medical teams ignored signs she’d developed a serious infection, per a lawsuit.

Portland mom of six, Trisha Stevens, 48, underwent a hysterectomy on Oct. 4, 2024, at Adventist Health Portland, after struggling with abnormal uterine bleeding and adenomyosis, per the complaint.

Stevens claims that four days after the surgery, test results showed inflammation, but her doctor, who is named in the suit, allegedly did not review the results or take “any action in response to them, including communicating the results to Ms. Stevens or initiating any additional treatment, follow-up, monitoring based on those findings.”  

PEOPLE has reached out to Adventist Health Portland, who is not named in the suit, for comment. 

Two weeks later, on Oct. 19, Stevens was walking down the bleachers at her son’s football game, when she “experienced a sudden tearing and popping sensation in her lower abdomen, followed by vaginal bleeding,” per the suit. Three days later, Stevens called the office of the doctor who performed the hysterectomy, who is named in the lawsuit. Stevens allegedly reported “bright red vaginal bleeding, passage of a blood clot the size of a baseball, a low-grade fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramping.”

She was told by a nurse to rest and hydrate, and was not directed to an emergency room, the suit says. But her condition continued to decline. On Oct. 22, Stevens went to the emergency department at Legacy Mount Hood, where she was found to have a significantly elevated heart rate and low blood pressure. She was also experiencing severe menstrual bleeding and was “saturating vaginal pads with blood at a rate of three per hour.”

She was diagnosed with “peritonitis, lactic acid acidosis, and AKI (acute kidney injury), with septic shock and bacteremia,” which can be life-threatening. But she was allegedly not given antibiotics until the following day. Later, she underwent surgery. But by then, her infection had progressed to the point that amputation was recommended. 

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On Nov. 6, two months after her initial surgery, Stevens had both her legs amputated above the knee. She later had her right hand amputated at the wrist, and her left thumb, as well as fingers on the left hand.

Inadequate blood supply to her spinal cord caused her to become paralyzed from the lower back down, according to the lawsuit. Portions of her lips and tongue were amputated, the suit says. She also had acute kidney injury, a fungal infection, and rhabdomyolysis.

A representative for Legacy Health, which is named in the lawsuit, told PEOPLE, “We are deeply saddened by what Ms. Stevens and her family have experienced, and we extend our compassion to them. Because this matter is now in litigation, we cannot comment on the specific allegations or care involved.”

Stevens is seeking $68.5 million.

“This infection did not just make me sick, it attacked my body so violently that I went into septic shock and multi-organ failure, and I have spent every day since living with what survival cost me,” Stevens tells PEOPLE in a statement. “I cannot fully close my mouth, I struggle to speak and swallow, and the damage and constriction from necrosis and scarring have affected my gums and teeth, leaving me needing dental treatment. I live with chronic pain, wounds, recurring infections, and bowel and bladder problems that require daily care, planning, and help.”

“When I look in the mirror, my eyes fill with tears because I see a body altered from head to toe. The injuries are visible, but the emotional damage is often hidden. Every day, I grieve the person I was, the body I once lived in, and the independence my family and I had before this happened,” Stevens tells PEOPLE.

“Depression is a real battle as I try to process losses that touch every part of my life, but I keep fighting for my husband, my children, and the life we are trying to rebuild together.”

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