STANFORD, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – A Lincoln County woman who had to have limbs amputated after a kidney infection is just days away from moving into her forever home.
On Wednesday, a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony took place that will enable Cindy Mullins, a quadruple amputee, to soon move into a brand new barrier-free home.
“I’m blessed with this life now. It’s a blessing, not a curse. God doesn’t punish you for things. He gave me this life because he thought I could handle it,” says Cindy Mullins as she reflects on losing her limbs but being alive.
Every day brings new challenges for Mullins, of Lincoln County. With no arms or legs, Cindy must now relearn things that many of us take for granted.
“I’ll use the hooks first and learn to adapt to them. Then we’ll move on to my electric hands, which will sense the nerves and senses in my body and move what look like hands and fingers,” added Mullins, who is getting used to her prosthetics and will eventually upgrade to robotic prosthetics.
After complications from surgery for a kidney stone, Cindy developed sepsis, which resulted in the loss of both her arms and legs.
“It’s the most humbling feeling when people stop me or tell me that I have an inspiration that I just can’t imagine,” Mullins also says.
But Cindy’s spirit is more alive than ever and now she has something to look forward to: a new home.
“It’s crazy just to think about it, but it’s also amazing to see all these people coming together to do this in 10 days. With the power of prayer and God’s blessing and hopefully no bad weather, we will build a house in 10 days,” she says.
The 41-year-old added that her husband had been a rock for her throughout the entire trip.
“God knew I needed him before I needed him. He has definitely been the stability factor in our family and does more than I could have ever imagined. He is truly the love of my life,” Mullins said.
10 days to build a dream home with the goal of making it easier for Cindy to access everything she needs.
“Every single detail in this home was carefully designed to accommodate her specific needs, now and in the future, and her aging in place. Some of the special things we’re doing are custom cabinets that are a little higher to make room for her wheelchair and her countertop. It will accommodate her in her wheelchair as well as her prosthetics,” said Liz Betack, interior designer at Liz Betack Design Studio.
James Crocker, the CEO of Hog Technologies, is the man helping to make the house a reality.
“So September 9th marks the start of the 10-day project. We’ll put the walls up, put up the frame and dry everything in one day, and then on the 18th at 2 p.m. the house will be unveiled,” Crocker added.
As construction plans for the new home continue to progress, “I want to raise awareness that we are trying to make the world and our new buildings more universal and suitable for all kinds of people,” Betack said.
Crocker also added: “If we can fly to the moon and back, we can build a house in 10 days.”
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