Advocate Profile, Karen Crespo

Karen, a nurse at a Los Angeles hospital, was alone in her apartment when she started feeling sick. At first she assumed she had the flu, but when her feet became numb she knew something more was wrong. By the time she was admitted to the emergency room she could no longer walk. Karen was diagnosed with meningococcemia and spent the next 15 days in a coma and another five months in the intensive care unit. She survived two heart attacks, a blood clot in her brain as well as kidney and respiratory failure. As a result of the infection, Karen underwent amputation of her arms and legs and still has other long-term complications, including hearing loss.

In September 2014, Karen became the first quadruple-amputee to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week. She is dedicated to promoting awareness of meningococcal disease and its prevention.