I Survived Sepsis and Amputation: My Unexpected Journey from a Dream Mommy Makeover

Nicole Grigorov struggled with feelings of self-consciousness about her appearance and was determined to eliminate her ‘hanging belly’.

In September 2025, she decided to take the plunge, investing $14,000 in a ‘mommy makeover’, which included both a tummy tuck and breast augmentation.

The mother of four from Ontario, Canada, anticipated that the surgery would finally boost her self-esteem. Unfortunately, it led to a near-fatal ordeal.

Following the procedure, Grigorov, now 53, developed a severe infection that escalated into life-threatening sepsis.

With her organs failing, she was placed on life support and spent nearly a month in a medically-induced coma.

Although her chances of survival were slim at just one percent, Grigorov made a remarkable recovery. However, she was left with significant, lasting complications.

All of her fingers and toes had been removed to stop the infection spreading, and she is now learning to live as an amputee.  

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Grigorov explained that she had developed a 20lb fibroid cyst in her uterus following the birth of her twins.

After getting it removed last year, she said it left her with a ‘hanging belly’ that just wouldn’t go away no matter what she tried.

‘It was a dream of mine [to get a tummy tuck],’ she said. ‘It didn’t matter how much weight I lost or how much I worked out, I had this hanging belly. I wanted to improve how I looked and felt.’

She went on a wait list for the surgery in Canada, where she lives, but was told it would be a while.

A friend then suggested she fly to Costa Rica for the procedure since she could get it done faster and for the same price.

‘My friend described waking up to the ocean and birds, healing in a beautiful atmosphere, being looked after by the ocean in a tropical area as opposed to the depths of winter in Canada,’ she said.

Initially, she had only wanted a tummy tuck. But during a consultation with the doctor, it was suggested she get her breasts done too.

‘I thought, “OK I’ll get them lifted and do the whole thing,”‘ she said. ‘I was transitioning in my life [after becoming a mom] and wanted to feel good about myself, so I just went for it.’

In September, she flew to Costa Rica where she had the surgery done at a clinic, paying roughly $14,000.

‘I read all the reviews and I talked to some people who had used [this clinic],’ she said. ‘The clinic was highly recommended and had a five-star rating.’ 

The surgery itself went badly. Grigorov said she started ‘bleeding out’ and needed to have ‘nine blood transfusions.’ The doctors told her during recovery that an undiagnosed blood disorder was to blame.

Then two days later, she began to feel ‘really sick’ and knew ‘something was wrong.’

She was ultimately sent by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she learned she had a serious infection. 

Grigorov went into septic shock soon after. Her kidneys began failing and she was put on life support and forced into a medically-induced coma.

‘They [told my family] I had a maximum of three to five percent chance of living,’ she said.

‘I should not have lived. The fact that I survived is crazy. I was in a coma for a good three, four weeks on induced life support.’ 

Grigorov said the doctor at the hospital told her after she woke that he believed the cause of the infection was a ‘dirty tool’ used during the tummy tuck. 

When she awoke from her coma, Grigorov said she was initially ‘paralyzed from the neck down’ and had to relearn how to walk. 

In addition, her fingers and toes developed dry gangrene and ultimately needed to be amputated.

‘I’ve had to learn to use my hands with no fingers. But I can pretty much do everything,’ she shared. 

‘There’s limitations for sure. But I have a lot of help from friends and I just figure it out [as I go along].’ 

Grigorov said she requested a refund from the clinic for the plastic surgery but was denied.

She added that the doctors who had operated on her came to the hospital after she woke up from the coma and ‘apologized,’ which she believes was them ‘admitting fault.’ 

She said she doesn’t plan on taking legal action because it’s ‘not worth it.’ However, she plans to fly back to Costa Rica as soon as she is well enough and go to the clinic in person to try to get her money back.

‘I’m going to march in there and ask them to give it back considering they gave me sepsis and almost killed me,’ she said. 

Despite everything she has been through, Grigorov said she is ‘not a victim.’

‘I chose to go there. I should have been more [cautious before the surgery] but I wasn’t, I just trusted [the clinic],’ she said. 

Her fingers and toes developed dry gangrene and ultimately needed to be amputated

‘Does it suck? Yeah it does, who wants to be amputated? But I have a good life, I’m not gonna complain. I have a lot to be thankful for.

‘I’m one in a million, call it Murphy’s law, bad luck, whatever you want to call it. But at the end of the day I’m still here, so maybe I have the best luck. I should have died but I didn’t. It’s all about how you look at it. I’m a blessing, I’m a miracle.’

Grigorov said she has a hard time grappling with the question of why she survived and others haven’t.

‘I don’t understand why I lived or why I’m alive and some people aren’t. That messes you up a little bit. Obviously God has a plan for me but it’s hard to wrap your head around,’ she admitted.

She hopes by sharing her story she can help others realize they don’t need plastic surgery to look beautiful.

‘Don’t do it,’ she urged others who may be considering going under the knife. ‘It’s not worth the risk.

‘You’re gambling with your life, which is more important than how you look. It’s what’s inside you that counts.

‘This has shaped who I am for the rest of my life.’