SHAWNEE, Oklahoma (CNN) — A holiday trip turned into a nightmare for an Oklahoma family.
A mother of two is now in the hospital after a tick bite left her a quadruple amputee.
It’s the photo capturing a Fourth of July trip, forever changing Jo Rogers’ life.
“She’s a beautiful, energetic fun person and I mean nobody deserves this,” family member Lisa Morgan said.
Four days after visiting Grand Lake, Jo thought she had the flu. On day five, her family took her to a hospital.
“She was shaking her hands because they hurt, her feet hurt. They tested her for West Nile Virus and for meningitis,” Morgan said.
Those results came back negative. But by day six, doctors said Jo’s organs were shutting down, and by day 7…
“By Saturday morning her hands and feet were turning dark blue and black,” Morgan said.
And it was then someone thought to check for what may have happened just one week earlier.
“She got bit by a tick,” Morgan said.
That one bite was enough for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever to ravage Jo’s body, forcing doctors to amputate her right leg and go from there.
“Below the knee of her left leg and below both elbows of her arms to save her life, to keep the infection from getting to her vital organs,” Morgan said.
Now, a quad amputee, Jo’s family is rallying around her. They are raising money to help her in a new life. They say she’s lucky to have.
“You’re still with us, you’re going to get to watch your boys grow up and you’ve got a lot people pulling for you, she really does,” Morgan said.