NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Brie Bauer, a mom of three who lost all four limbs due to complications from sepsis, found a perfect kidney donor match<\/p>\n
The Kansas mother has been on dialysis four times a week for two years due to kidney failure related to her condition,<\/p>\n
\u201cI still kind of don\u2019t believe it,\u201d Bauer said about the match<\/p>\n
A Kansas mom who lost all four limbs<\/a> after complications from sepsis has just received life-changing news: She has a perfect kidney donor match.<\/p>\n Brie Bauer of Kansas City was 35 years old and pregnant with her third child in February 2024 when she went to the doctor with flu-like symptoms, per a GoFundMe<\/a> established at the time. It was soon determined that Brie needed an emergency C-section. The procedure did not go as planned.<\/p>\n Bauer began experiencing organ failure, and she was ultimately diagnosed with sepsis<\/a>, a life-threatening condition that causes the body to attack healthy tissue and organs, per the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n She soon needed to have four limbs amputated in order to save her life.<\/p>\n The former nurse eventually returned home, but her health challenges were far from over. She has spent the past two years on dialysis<\/a> multiple times a week due to kidney failure related to her condition.<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt often means I spend less time with my little kids due to treatments four times a week,\u201d Bauer, who is now an advocate for sepsis awareness and limb loss, wrote in a January Instagram post.<\/a><\/p>\n In late February, Bauer received the news she had been hoping for since 2024: She had a kidney donor match.<\/p>\n \u201cI have words I have been waiting a long time to say. I FOUND A KIDNEY MATCH,\u201d Bauer announced in a February 27 Instagram post<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter sepsis. After losing all four limbs. After surgeries and setbacks. After the long process of becoming transplant eligible. There is a match,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n \u201cTo every single person who called. Who filled out paperwork. Who went through testing. Who sat in appointments. Who prayed. Who shared my story. Thank you will never feel big enough,\u201d Bauer added.<\/p>\n Bauer admitted that she has yet to fully process the life-changing news.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took a couple of days, really, to understand how it\u2019s a perfect match. I still kind of don\u2019t believe it,\u201d she said while recently speaking to KCTV<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bauer also said that while she remains cautiously optimistic, she knows there is still a long road ahead and no guarantees.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowing my history of things always going the wrong way, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be truly excited until after the transplant and until I get the dialysis stuff out of my house. That\u2019s when I\u2019ll know that we\u2019re good,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Still, Bauer, who has founded Brie\u2019s Hope<\/a>, a nonprofit dedicated to sepsis awareness, early detection and support for those navigating life after limb loss<\/a>, said she refuses to let her condition define her.<\/p>\n \u201cI know I\u2019m not going to be growing back arms or legs. It is what it is,\u201d she told KCTV. \u201cI\u2019m not going to let this situation stop me from what I want to do in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n