PLEASANTON, Texas — Krystina Pacheco is living proof that a mother’s love knows no boundaries.
The 29-year-old returned home on Saturday after spending months in the hospital with a nearly deadly case of septic shock. Pacheco entered the hospital just days after giving birth to her second child last October.
The mother described her pregnancy as normal. When it was time to give birth, her C-section went smoothly. She was discharged two days later – happy, healthy but with a slight fever.
“I started experiencing stomach issues. I was vomiting,” said Pacheco.
Her symptoms only worsened at the hospital. Doctors sedated her for two weeks at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio.
“She was on different machines for a while, life saving machines,” said Jacob Pacheco, her husband.
She later learned a bacterial infection put her body into septic shock. It's unclear who she contracted the infection. Survival appeared grim but she lived and eventually came off the machines. However, the medication used to keep her alive cut off the circulation of blood to her hands and feet.
Pacheco said doctors tried various things to save her limbs, but ultimately, had no choice but to amputate.
“It absolutely crushes you because they are your hands and your feet,” said Pacheco.
But it also meant another chance at life for the mother.
Weeks after her procedures, she entered outpatient treatment in Houston. She now knows how to perform simple daily tasks such as brushing her hair and holding her baby. On Saturday, she was given the clear to return home to Pleasanton, south of San Antonio.
“I’m glad she is here with us, and I’m glad she is here for our kids. I’m glad she is here for me,” her husband said.
“I’m so glad I’m home. That is ultimately all I wanted every day,” said Pacheco.
Now she is home with the ones who matter most and the ones she’d give her own life for.
“I would do anything for them that’s for sure.”
The couple said support from friends and family also helped them get through this difficult time. Some have hosted plate sales to help raise funds for the family’s medical costs. Donations can still be made to help.
Donations can be made on Venmo at @Jacob-Pacheco-3 or Cash App at $CoachPancho.
As for treatment, Pacheco said she will continue therapy in San Antonio and plans to get prosthetics soon.