It started a chain of events that changed Denise Dibrell's life09:28, 31 Jul 2026Updated 09:38, 31 Jul 2026A woman had both of her legs amputated after having a "severe" cough at her cousin's wedding.‌Denise Dibrell, 52, was attending the celebration in Tennessee in July 2025 when she contracted a cough so bad she couldn't breathe when she lay down. It began to ease, but after returning home to Nevada, Las Vegas, where she tested positive for influenza A.‌She was rushed to the emergency room at St Rose Dominican Hospital before being put into an induced coma after she got into respiratory distress. She contracted sepsis, went into septic shock and was administered vasopressor medication, which works to constrict blood vessels, increasing blood pressure and circulation.‌Denise said that, due to a lack of blood flow to her extremities as her major organs were prioritised, her brother David, 56, began to notice her feet turning black. With nothing doctors could do, Denise's feet "died and became mummified" over the next 30 days while she remained in a coma before waking on August 18.On September 15, 2025, she underwent a double amputation of her legs below the knee, spending a further six weeks in hospital. Now a year into her recovery, Denise has been fitted with prosthetic legs and has been learning to walk again.‌Denise, who is currently unemployed, said: "I had so many blood clots and my blood pressure plummeted so low because there was no circulation getting to my feet. There was nothing they could do about it."Over the course of the next 30 days my feet died and became mummified and all while I was in a coma. I'm out here kicking ass, I'm not lying down and not sitting in misery."I see it as a blessing more than I do anything else. The fact I do have my hands and the fact I did make it is amazing. The fact I'm learning how to walk. There are other things, though. I don't have insurance, I don't have a job and my physical therapy is on hold. It's been a year of awakening."‌After struggling to breathe while attending a cousin's wedding, Denise was taking over the counter mediation before heading to her nearest urgent care when she returned home.She said: "They came in and took my vitals and whatnot and I guess my oxygen saturation level was low, but they didn't really freak out or anything. They said, 'Okay let's just do a test for influenza'."It came back positive for influenza A. The doctors said calmly, 'well, hey, let's have an ambulance come to get you to take you to the emergency room for further tests'.‌"He doesn't tell me I'm in any kind of respiratory distress, if anything. Once the ambulance came, I remember nothing else until roughly 40 days later."Denise was admitted to St Rose Dominican Hospital and her family was notified, with brother David, 56, flying in the next day to be at her bedside. By the time he arrived, Denise was intubated and had gone into septic shock from sepsis,Doctors explained afterwards to David that a side effect of the vasopressor medication could potentially turn both her feet black as the circulation to them was cut off. On August 15 doctors talked to Denise's mum Patricia, 76, to discuss removing her life support.‌"Thank God she said 'no, let's keep her on life support', Denise said. "They had tested for brain activity and all that good stuff and were saying I should be okay, but couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be issues – cognitively there are some, but nothing I've seen other people have to deal with. Had she said no, I wouldn't be here right now."After waking from her coma on August 18, Denise said she "had no idea what was going on", but after she stabilised she was discharged on August 20 to wait until her feet were at a point where they were ready for surgery.‌Due to intense pain in her feet, her amputation was scheduled and on September 15, 2025, she underwent the three-hour surgery. Further complications due to the surgery meant she developed antibiotic-resistant infections, suffered blood clots and lost all her hair. She also needed a second revision surgery on her right leg after it was not healing correctly."Luckily I've been blessed to be recovering and mentally I am stronger than I've ever been," Denise said. "My mental capacity came back pretty good, but I did have some memory loss."I also had physical therapy and have started learning how to walk again. Now I'm in my below-the-knee prosthetics, and I can walk aided. I can walk with a walker".Article continues belowSadly, after her surgery, Denise lost her job, as well as experiencing bereavement and the loss of her dog of 13 years. Due to not having insurance, Denise's physical therapy is now on hold until she can fund further sessions.She said: "Of course I saw my legs were gone, but it felt like I was a miracle and that was a bit of a sacrifice that was given. There's the saying 'life or limb' and mine was life."