Bionic Woman: Against All Odds

DEER PARK, N. Y. — Imagine losing your child and all four of your limbs, in one night.  One woman had to face this reality head on.

Shannon Smith was six months pregnant with her second child when something went wrong.

“I wasn’t feeling that well that morning.  So, I went to the hospital and was told that I would have to have an emergency C-section,” Shannon Smith told Ivanhoe.

During the C-section, she developed sepsis and a condition that caused blood clots, loss of circulation, and organ failure.

“I developed clots all throughout my body, which stopped the circulation to my limbs,” Smith said.

She slipped into a coma. Three weeks later, she woke up to learn she’d lost her baby and her limbs would need to be amputated.

“I remember thinking, how did this happen?” Smith said.

Seventeen surgeries and eleven months later, Smith became one of the first people to get four nerve activated prosthetics that all work together to keep her going.

“There’s basically a computer in that knee that is monitoring every step she takes,” Christopher Berger, CPO, Clinical Director, East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp., told Ivanhoe.

The hi-tech limbs have given her a new lease on life and a new nickname, the “Bionic Woman.”

“I have seen her go from being in a wheelchair pretty much full time, to being able to put her limbs on, to being able to walk,” Berger said.

Smith enjoys the independence her limbs have given her.

My son, my family, and God, that’s what keeps me going,” Smith said.

Today, the “Bionic Woman” is adjusting to her new normal life and looking forward to taking her next steps towards independence.

The microprocessor in Smith's knee understands her needs based on ground reaction forces.  If you would like to donate money to Shannon's medical fund, go to her website at: http://sdsmedicalfund.org/

WFTV