Mother of 6 sues doctors, hospital after hysterectomy allegedly led to paralysis and quadruple amputations
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Mum-of-six Trisha Stevens took legal action after developing sepsis following hysterectomy
Stevens suffered multiple amputations and became paralyzed after she claimed doctors were negligent in providing prompt care, according to the lawsuit.
Portland, Oregon mother seeks $68.5 million in damages from medical providers
An Oregon woman suffered multiple amputations and is now paralyzed from the lower back after she claims her medical teams ignored signs that she had developed a serious infection, according to a lawsuit.
Trisha Stevens, 48, a Portland mother of six, underwent a hysterectomy on Oct. 4, 2024, at Adventist Health Portland, after battling abnormal uterine bleeding and adenomyosis, according to the complaint.
Stevens claims that four days after surgery, test results showed inflammation, but her doctor, named in the suit, allegedly failed to review the results or take “any action in response thereto, including communicating the results to Ms. Stevens or initiating additional treatment, monitoring, or monitoring based on those results.”
Trisha and Brian Stevens
Credit: Courtesy of Trisha and Brian Stevens
PEOPLE reached out to Adventist Health Portland, which is not named in the suit, for comment.
Two weeks later, on Oct. 19, Stevens was walking in the stands at her son’s soccer game, when she “felt a sudden tearing and bursting sensation in her lower abdomen, followed by vaginal bleeding,” according to the suit. Three days later, Stevens called the office of the doctor who performed the hysterectomy, named in the lawsuit. Stevens reportedly reported “bright red vaginal bleeding, the passage of a baseball-sized blood clot, a mild fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps.”
A nurse told her to rest and hydrate, and was not directed to an emergency room, the suit says. But his condition continued to deteriorate. On Oct. 22, Stevens went to Legacy Mount Hood’s emergency department, where she was found to have a significantly elevated heart rate and low blood pressure. She also suffered from severe menstrual bleeding and was “saturating the vaginal pads with blood at a rate of three per hour.”
He was diagnosed with “peritonitis, lactic acidosis and AKI (acute kidney injury), with septic shock and bacteremia”, which can be life-threatening. But she would not have received antibiotics until the next day. She later underwent surgery. But by then, his infection had progressed to the point that amputation was recommended.
Trisha Stevens in hospital
Credit: Courtesy of Trisha and Brian Stevens
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On November 6, two months after her first operation, Stevens had both legs amputated above the knee. Later, her right hand was amputated at the wrist, as well as her left thumb, as well as the fingers of her left hand.
Insufficient blood supply to her spinal cord caused her to become paralyzed from the lower back, according to the lawsuit. Parts of his lips and tongue were amputated, the suit states. She also suffered from acute kidney injury, fungal infection and rhabdomyolysis.
A representative for Legacy Health, named in the lawsuit, told PEOPLE: “We are deeply saddened by what Ms. Stevens and her family have experienced, and we extend our sympathy to them. Because this matter is now in litigation, we cannot comment on the allegations or the specific care involved.
Brian Stevens takes care of his wife Trisha after her limbs were amputated
Credit: Courtesy of Trisha and Brian Stevens
Stevens is asking for $68.5 million.
“This infection not only made me sick, it attacked my body so violently that I suffered septic shock and multiple organ failure, and I have spent every day since living with what my survival cost me,” Stevens told PEOPLE in a statement. “I can’t close my mouth completely, I have difficulty speaking and swallowing, and the damage and constriction caused by the necrosis and scarring has affected my gums and teeth, requiring dental treatment. I live with chronic pain, wounds, recurring infections, and bowel and bladder issues that require daily care, planning, and support.
“When I look in the mirror, my eyes fill with tears because I see a body altered from head to toe. The wounds are visible, but the emotional damage is often hidden. Every day I grieve the person I was, the body I once lived in, and the independence my family and I had before this happened,” Stevens told PEOPLE.
“Depression is a real struggle as I try to overcome the losses that touch every aspect of my life, but I continue to fight for my husband, my children and the life we are trying to rebuild together.”
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