Just minutes before a surgery that will be changing her life, Nicole Nugent was upbeat and positive.
She shared a video message from her hospital bed from Mease Countryside Hospital in Palm Harbor.
"I’m not nervous. I’m ready to get this over with and ready to be pain-free,” said Nugent.
The irony of an amputation to her right leg is unfathomable.
“She's doing well as well as can be expected you know,” said Steve Chamberland.
Chamberland’s nonprofit, 50 legs, stood by the family ever since an awful accident four years ago.
Nicole’s husband, Ireland’s father accidentally ran over his daughter’s leg with a riding lawnmower.
“She sees Ireland so she's not going into it blind,” said Chamberland
Steve helped the two year old get prosthetics. Action News was there for the then 2-year-old’s recovery every step of the way. We watched her take her first steps to coming home after weeks in the hospital.
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Ireland’s father and mother never wavered in their support and love. But last year, Nicole got sick after she said tainted water got into a cut in her foot causing a rare infection. The 35-year-old just learned her foot could not be saved.
“Just the other day the doctor said they’re going to do the MRI and they saw it was 90 percent. The doctor said we got to take it so it really wasn't an option,” said Chamberland.
The family broke th news to Ireland. A 6-year-old now ready for the roles to be reversed and be the rock for her mom.
“In Ireland's eyes her mom is her hero. Her mom not giving up and showing that she can do it too,” said Chamberland.
And Nugent’s strength is showing. She wanted to share this message,
“I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and concerns,” said Nugent.
Nugent will be at the hospital for the next three days. No word yet on when she will be fitted with a prosthetic.
