GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -
After spending more than two months in a Greenville hospital fighting off a flesh-eating bacterial infection, a new mother of two is heading home.
Lana Kuykendall, a paramedic, was admitted to Greenville Memorial Hospital on May 11 - days after giving birth two twins. She became concerned after she noticed a strip of dark skin on the back of a leg, which she thought was a blood clot.
After being admitted, doctors diagnosed Kuykendall with necrotizing fasciitis. She underwent 20 surgical procedures and other treatments, including skin grafts over 25 percent of her body. Once the infection was stopped, she was moved to a rehabilitation facility.
SLIDESHOW: Kuykendall receives therapy, spends times with twins
On Monday, Kuykendall and her husband, Darren, a firefighter, talked to the media about the battle against bacteria.
"I am just very grateful to be alive and I thank everyone who has been involved with that," Lana Kuykendall told a crowded room of reporters.
One of the doctors who helped treat the infection called the bacteria fast and aggressive.
"These flesh eating bacteria grow so rapidly that you can actually see the skin change in front of your eyes," said Dr. Spence Taylor. "You can actually see the growth over time."
On Tuesday, doctors discharged Lana Kuykendall from the rehab center. She will now receive care at home and attend outpatient physical therapy.
While doctors did not say how Lana Kuykendall was infected, they did say it could have happened from a small cut.
Copyright 2012 FOX Carolina (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Lana Kuykendall talks to reporters about her two-month-long battle with necrotizing fasciitis. (July 16, 2012/FOX Carolina)
