A 24-year-old woman from Lafayette is fighting for her life. Danielle Mauldin went to the hospital May 17 for what she thought was stomach pains. It wasn’t stomach pains. It was a blood clot that was causing her small intestine to fail and infection to her other organs.
Doctors at the Florida hospital where Mauldin was admitted determined she needed a transplant, but it wasn’t a surgery that could be performed there. Fortunately, space became available for Mauldin at a hospital in Cleveland where the surgery could be done. She was flown from Florida Wednesday night.
As of Thursday evening, a portion of Mauldin’s intestines were removed, and she was recovering from the six-hour surgery in the intensive care unit.
Mauldin’s family and friends are grateful and optimistic about the 24-year-old’s improvements after initially being told she had 24 hours to live; however, they say the journey isn’t over.
Mauldin was born and raised in Lafayette. She moved to Florida after graduating from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Mauldin has family and friends in Lafayette; her mother teaches at a middle school in Lafayette.
Mauldin’s friend started a fundraiser on Facebook for her, noting the costly hospital bills. The fundraiser has since gone viral with about 1,000 donations and shares in three days.
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