“Without the care and support I received, I wouldn’t be living on my own…Me being able to leave my house and support my community is really the goal.”

-Mariela Estrada

The days leading up to Christmas in 2023 were busy for Mariela Estrada – just as they are for any parent. She took the whole week before Christmas off from work so she could spend it prepping, baking, and watching movies with her sons, Rohan, 7, and Aden, 10.

Mariela’s holiday plans got thrown off track when she started feeling unwell. At first, she didn’t think much of it – it was cold and flu season, after all. But when her symptoms lingered into the 20th, she decided to visit urgent care.

From celebration to concern

To Mariela’s surprise, both her strep and COVID-19 tests were negative. At that time, there were no signs of a more serious problem, and the staff was optimistic that Mariela, a generally healthy young woman, would recover in a few days with hydration and rest.

Following a visit to the Emergency Room and days of quarantining at home, Mariela’s symptoms suddenly worsened to the point where she experienced difficulty catching her breath.

It was then that Mariela’s dad rushed her to the Wellstar Kennestone Emergency Department.

“The last thing I remember is being asked if I was okay with being ventilated,” Mariela said. “My parents were against it because during COVID, a ventilator was basically a death sentence. But I’ve always made it a point to trust doctors, so I said yes.”

After a nurse noticed marks on Mariela’s stomach, the situation quickly became more serious. Fortunately, specialized care was nearby, and Mariela was transferred to Wellstar Cobb Burn and Wound Treatment Center, one of only three burn and wound treatment centers in Georgia.

Facing the unthinkable

“When we arrived, I recognized my father and my best friend, Miranda. But she doesn’t live around here, so I was like, ‘What is she doing here? What’s going on?’” Mariela recalled.

Shortly after, a doctor came into Mariela’s room to share the news. She had developed a severe case of pneumonia that had quickly progressed into septic shock and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, a rare but life-threatening condition caused by certain strains of strep bacteria.

The infection overwhelmed Mariela’s body, causing dangerously low blood pressure and restricted circulation to her limbs. When blood flow slows too much, the body prioritizes vital organs such as the heart and brain, diverting blood away from the arms and legs. Although this survival response is essential, it can cause permanent tissue damage in the limbs.

Despite the Wellstar Cobb Burn and Wound Treatment Center team’s every effort to save the tissue in Mariela’s legs, the damage was too extensive. To save her life, amputation was necessary.

It took Mariela a few days to absorb the severity of the situation and come to the decision that was best for her health and her family. Thanks to the newfound courage given to her by a member of her care team, Mariela agreed to the procedure.

“The only reason I agreed to do it was because of my nurse, Kristin George. I felt like nothing could go wrong with her by my side. She made me brave enough to say yes.”

The road to recovery, paved by compassion

After her surgery, Mariela had a long, difficult recovery ahead. Even something as simple as sitting up took an exorbitant amount of effort, and as Mariela remembers, “made me feel like I had been hit by a truck.” But her care team was a metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.

“They kept me laughing even when I couldn’t talk,” Mariela recalled emotionally.

They stayed consistent with her, too. Despite Mariela’s frustration and attempts to ‘shoo’ away her physical therapists, they never gave up. They encouraged her to push herself to heal.

“With the support of my nurses, PT, OT and everyone else, things got easier. There were so many people who didn’t even know the impact they had on me. They were the reason I survived.”

For Mariela, it wasn’t just her lifesaving surgery that made a difference. It was also the thoughtful gestures that brought comfort during her healing journey. Like when Kristin George let her watch a movie on her phone, or when her nurse, Aketha Townsend, boiled water for her baths to make it the perfect temperature Mariela preferred. There was the nurse who stayed after his shift to feed her dinner following a painful skin graft surgery, and Mike Knopp, who read her a story when she couldn’t fall asleep. Or the nurse who held her hand and wiped her tears when she was scared. And then there was the team who painted her nails – something Mariela always had done before being in the hospital.

“These things are not part of their job descriptions. And there are so many other little things that made life worth living. They gave me the support and love that I needed so that I could progress. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be living independently like I do now.”

A lasting connection

After four long months in the hospital, Mariela was finally able to go home. Her connection to Wellstar didn’t end with her discharge, though. She stayed in touch with her care team through social media and email. These personal relationships have been just as important to her emotional healing as her physical recovery.

In October 2024, just a few months shy of a year since her symptoms began, the Wellstar Cobb team invited Mariela and her sons to lunch. There, they asked for a Christmas list. The team was ‘adopting’ Mariela’s family for Christmas.

“I was shocked,” Mariela said gratefully. “They fulfilled our list of not just needs but wants as well. We appreciated it so much.”

Mariela returned to Wellstar Cobb once again in May 2025 – this time, as a guest at their “Beyond the Burn” event. This event celebrated the life-changing recovery journeys of patients through their stories and highlighted the hospital’s holistic, team-based approach to care through advanced treatments and emotional and spiritual healing.

“It felt good for them to see me with hair and to see me kind of dressed up. It felt good to see them, and for them to see me healthy. It sounds cliché, but it feels like I’m not just a patient. I’m a part of your family now – you can’t get rid of me!”

Navigating a new normal

Mariela’s healing journey is still ongoing. She visits Wellstar Vinings Health Park twice a week for physical therapy.

She’s adapting to a new version of life – one that now includes prosthetics. While the process may look a little different now, Mariela still does nearly everything she used to, from laundry to cooking, baking and even hiking, which has been a long-time passion of hers.

“There really is no limit. There is a man who is a bilateral amputee. He was a soldier in the British Army, but he was able to climb Mount Everest. I don’t want to climb Mount Everest. But I do want to climb Kennesaw Mountain!”

These accomplishments are a result of both the expert care she has received and her unwavering positive attitude.

“There are accommodations for everything. Life is different, but it all depends on your perspective. If I keep saying, ‘I’m never going to be able to do this, this or this,’ then my world gets smaller. But once I accept the fact that I can do things, it just may require more time, patience and modifications, then the possibilities are endless.”

Her next goal?

“I really want to be able to drive by August so I can take my kids to school.”