Lacey Shadrick says she has always met grown -up nails on her feet and usually treated them at home. In September 2024, however, a 42-year-old woman noticed blisters from a particularly unpleasant overgrown nail on the toe of the left leghe writes
As she visited a sick family member at that time, she asked doctors to look at it. Doctors revealed that Lacey has a soft tissue infection – a bacterial infection in deeper layers of the skin – So they cut into her finger. Lacey also deployed antibiotics as it is a diabetic, which increases the risk of infection. Just a few days later, the mother of three children was shocked when she found her toe on her leg They must amputate after the gangrene has developed. She was divided by hours since her death.
As her infection continued to deteriorate, 11. April 2025 had to undergo three more operations including transmetatarsal amputationat which all the toes and half of the foot were removed. Lacey is now in a wheelchair, and if he is to have a chance to walk at all, he will need a leg prosthesis. Challenges people to get They were paying attention to their feet And to take all problems seriously, not to end in the same situation.
“Nails on my feet are overgrown once a week and I have been worried about them all my life,” Lacey said. “I think it’s caused by my nails growing on my legs. They grow downwards, instead of growing straight,” she explained. “I took care of them at home. I never had to go to the doctor to look at them. I never imagined it would happen. It was scary. It’s stunning how it all works. It is such a common procedure that you would not think that it can turn like this, “Lacey said.
“That Monday I told my doctor that the pain was stronger. The doctor said, “It looks like you have an infection”, “Lacey described.” When the results came from magnetic resonance, he flew into my room and said, “We will cut your toe in the morning. You have a gangrene. “I didn’t even know that gangrene still exists,” added.
Gangrene is a condition where body tissue dies because it is not supplied with blood. “I had sepsis and I was really close to losing my life,” says Lacey. “The infection was in my bone marrow. I was lying and I thought ‘what my children would do if I die’. It was a huge shock. Normally, I would just stick it at home with a patch, ”Lacey said.
In April 2025 after visiting several Lacey hospitals, they said he has osteomyelitis, bone infection usually caused by bacteria, which can lead to bone death. She found you As a result of bone infection “crushed” all toes on the legs Only when walking and needed transmetatarsal amputation.
“My toes started to look really strange and I couldn’t move them. They all said ‘you had a broken toe’, but I said ‘something is happening’,” Lacey said. “The doctor made me magnetic resonance imaging and said I had an infection and also broken bones on all four fingers. Not only broken, but also crushed while walking. My leg was crippled from the inside, “she explained. “He had to cut my calf and connect my calf with the Achilles tendonbecause my leg turned inside and wanted to deform. That’s why we decided to make that transmetatarzal replacement. It is so incomprehensible to me that I couldn’t even imagine it. It should never have happened, “she added.
Lacey admitted she had no insurance, so she is worried that he would not be able to afford a prosthesis that costs approximately $ 1,700. “I was very angry with what happened. I try to get rid of the anger, but it’s really hard. It should never have happened, “ Lacey said. “I can’t do anything at the moment, because I must not burden it in six weeks. I can’t even imagine what it will look like. It’s frightening because I know it will be a big adaptation, Because I have no balance, “she added.
“I’m an active person. I like to be out and I like to do sports, but I am on the edge of interest at the moment. I’m afraid because I don’t know what awaits me in the future. I know that if I have a chance to walk, I will need a prosthesis that is inserted into the shoe. Without it, I think I don’t have the opportunity to walk. It was all so unexpected. You are never financially prepared for it, ” Lacey said.
