Tyianna Trice never imagined a minor infection would turn her whole world upside down. What began as, by most accounts, as a routine postpartum complication, Mastitis from clogged milk duct, escalated into a catastrophic cascade.

Mastitis is a painful inflammation of the breast, usually caused by a blocked milk duct or an infection. It mostly affects breastfeeding women and can lead to symptoms like swelling, redness, fever, and severe breast pain.

If not treated early, the infection can worsen and in rare cases lead to serious complications such as abscesses or even sepsis.

An abscess formed and raptured, she went into shock, and doctors moved quickly to save her life. In the whirlwind that followed she was placed on life support, including ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) and fell into a coma that lasted seven days.

When she woke, nothing about her body or her daily routines was the same. To stop the infection and preserve what medical teams could, multiple amputation were performed. From Tyianna’s posts, she describes amputations that include; her right leg, her left leg down to the ankle, several fingers from one hand and her left breast.

In blog entries she speaks frankly about trauma, hair loss after critical illness, the fear of not being able to be “the mom” she wanted to be, and the way faith and other parents in amputee groups became lifelines.

She has shared both raw vulnerability, describing days she thought she’d never feel whole again and practical celebration when she can take her children on trips or write about starting an accessible farm.

Those public reflections have helped others understand how sepsis can arrive suddenly and how recovery is both medical and deeply social. 

There are also broader lessons in Tyianna’s story. Mastitis and clogged ducts are common postpartum problems, but her case is a harsh reminder: infections can become life-threatening if they spread and lead to sepsis.

Early care, clear follow-up, and access to prompt medical attention matter. And for survivors, rebuilding life after catastrophic medical events requires more than surgery, it needs social supports, and adaptive resources that actually meet needs.

Tyianna’s public writing and videos have become a resource for people navigating similar paths, a testimony that life after profound loss of limbs and body parts can still hold motherhood, purpose and hope.