‘Godsend’: Quadruple amputations draw women together

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Two women formed an unexpected friendship through adversity after both underwent quadruple amputations.

On Mother’s Day weekend, Lynne Polselli of Pinckney, northwest of Ann Arbor, was enjoying a view of the northern lights when her health quickly changed.

“The next morning, I was just exhausted, super tired. My husband was like, ‘Are you going to get out of bed today?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t think so,'” Polselli said.

After going to the hospital, that feeling of exhaustion turned into a fight for her life.

“I’ve got a 105-degree temperature and my internal organs are starting to shut down,” Polselli recalled.

In septic shock, Polselli was placed in a medically induced coma for several days. She survived, but after waking up, she learned her hands would need to be amputated. She lost her feet weeks later.

Septic shock , an infection that causes blood pressure to drop, can lead to reduced blood flow to the extremities, leaving the flesh of the hands and feet to die.

“There were 13 people in my hospital room and asking questions back and forth: ‘Is there any reason to hold onto them?’ And it was no,” Polselli said. “I know it seems crazy, but it wasn’t a difficult decision. It was just the logical one to make, and OK, we’ll move forward.”

As she adjusted to her new life, Polselli’s family told her about another quadruple amputee, Pam Buschle, who lives in Grand Rapids. Buschle lost her hands and feet after developing sepsis following a routine surgery in 2013.

“We really made an immediate connection. We have very similar experiences with sepsis and facing amputation of all four limbs,” Buschle said.

Buschle now has years of experience using prosthetic legs and robotic arms. She has supported Polselli as she prepared for prosthetic limbs at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, which is the same hospital she used.

“Mary Free Bed really gave me back my life. We worked hard at walking, at using my hands, writing my name, going out for dinner,” Buschle said.

Polselli said meeting someone who has experienced similar hardships has been crucial for her journey.

“She’s been so helpful, too (when I ask), ‘Hey Pam, how do you hold a cup of coffee? How do you do personal hygiene? Are you driving yet? How do you hang out with friends?'” Polselli said. “I mean the people here (at Mary Free Bed) have been fantastic, but you kind of have to talk to someone who’s been there and trialed it.”

Buschle said she has been inspired by Polselli’s positive attitude.

“And her absolute belief, which I also had, that everything is going to be OK, that there’s a purpose in all of this,” Buschle said.

Polselli and Buschl’s connection is more than a mentorship; it’s the start of a lifelong friendship.

“I’m just so thankful for her coming into my life and that was a godsend,” Polselli said.

“That’s why I lost my limbs, so I can have those relationships with people who are going through a similar life-changing, challenging experience,” Buschle said.

Buschle has created a nonprofit organization called no limbits , which supports people who have experienced limb loss.

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