Lacey Shadrick, 42, was obsessed with having pretty feet and has done DIY pedicures, clipping and painting her nails, once a week since she was a young girl.
But when her left big toe became infected due to an ingrown toenail, she couldn’t have imagined the devastating chain of events that would follow.
She first noticed her toe looked swollen during a visit to see a family member in hospital last September.
A doctor on site examined it and diagnosed a soft tissue infection. Because Shadrick is diabetic, which increases the risk of infections, they cut into the toe to relieve pressure and put her on antibiotics.
Just days later, the mother-of-three from Sumter, South Carolina, was stunned to be told her toe had turned gangrenous and required immediate amputation — a procedure doctors have said likely saved her life.
But the infection continued to spread rapidly. Within weeks, she underwent three more surgeries, including a transmetatarsal amputation, where all toes and part of the foot are removed.
Nearly two weeks on, she is now in a wheelchair and will require a prosthetic foot if she has any chance of walking again.
Shadrick is now warning others about the dangers of pedicures and the importance of sterilizing tools to prevent infections.
Taking foot care seriously is especially important for those with diabetes.
When Lacey Shadrick gave herself weekly pedicures, her aim was to make her feet look prettier but the consequences were devastating
The disease occurs when the body stops producing the hormone insulin or doesn’t use it properly. As a result, glucose levels build up in the blood.
This can cause severe damage to the nerves and blood vessels leading to a loss of feeling and slow wound healing, particularly in lower limbs, which can lead to foot ulcers, chronic wounds and injuries, and even amputation if these become badly infected.
Shadrick has dealt with many ingrown toenails herself over the years.
‘It’s just the way they grow, under instead of across,’ she said. ‘I’ve always managed them at home and never needed to see a doctor.’
She never imagined it could escalate into something life-threatening.
‘I was visiting a family member in hospital and noticed what looked like a blister with pus around the toenail. A nurse looked at it and said, “You’re diabetic, let’s get it checked out”.
‘They said it was a soft tissue infection only, which is typical of an ingrown toenail.’
After her left big toe got infected due to an ingrown toenail, Shadrick couldn’t have imagined the chain of events that followed
An orthopedist cut the toe in several places and inserted packing but left it uncovered.
By Monday, the pain had worsened. By Wednesday, the packing had come out from walking. Her doctor saw her again and warned Shadrick it looked infected.
An MRI confirmed the worst: she had gangrene, a condition in which tissue dies due to infection or lack of blood flow, and the toe would need to be removed. Gangrene can be fatal if untreated, with dead tissue spreading by the hour.
Recalling her feelings when she got the diagnosis, Lacey said, ‘I didn’t even know gangrene was still a thing.
Just days later, the mother-of-three from Sumter, South Carolina, was ‘shocked’ to discover she needed her toe amputated after it became gangrenous – leaving her ‘close to losing her life’
As her infection continued to worsen, she was forced to have three more surgeries including a transmetatarsal amputation, where all her toes and part of her foot were removed
‘I was septic and I was really close to losing my life. The infection was in my bone marrow. I was laying there thinking “what are my kids going to do if I die?”
‘It was a massive shock.’
She returned to hospital for three further surgeries. In the end, she was diagnosed with osteomyelitis — a serious bone infection — and was told the bones in all four of her remaining toes were crushed from walking, a result of the undiagnosed infection.
‘My toes looked weird, and I couldn’t move them,’ she said. ‘Everyone thought they were just broken, but something more was going on.’
A follow-up MRI confirmed her fears. ‘My foot was a mangled mess. The doctor had to cut into my calf and reattach the muscle to my Achilles tendon because my foot was turning inward. That’s when we made the call to do the transmetatarsal amputation. I still can’t believe it.’
Now using a wheelchair, she is unable to bear weight on the foot for six weeks and doctors say she will need a prosthesis to walk again.
But Shadrick doesn’t have medical insurance, and the cost of a prosthetic foot — around $1,700 — is beyond her reach.
‘This was so unexpected,’ said Shadrick. ‘You’re never financially ready for something like this.’
The former emergency medical dispatcher had her left big toe amputated on 4 October 2024
The stay-at-home mom, pictured with her husband Jeremy, wants to share her story to urge others to ‘be careful with their feet’ and ‘trust their bodies’ if they think something is wrong
‘I was extremely angry with what had happened,’ Shadrick continued. ‘I’m trying to let go of that anger but it’s really hard. This should never have happened.
‘I can’t do anything at this point because I’m not allowed to put any weight on it in six weeks. I can’t even begin to see what it’s going to be like just yet. It’s scary because I know it’s going to be a big adjustment because I have no balance.’
She believes her best chance of walking is with a prosthetic that fits inside a shoe. Without it, she fears she may never walk again.
Now, Shadrick is determined to use her experience to warn others.
‘Trust your body,’ she said. ‘If you feel something isn’t right, speak up. Don’t let anyone dismiss your concerns.’
‘And be cautious about where you get your pedicures. We take our feet for granted, but I’ve seen what can happen if you don’t take care of them. This is something women never really think about, but they should.’
