A woman who spent nine days huddled in deep snow with her infant son has lost parts of her feet to frostbite, and her surgeons said on Tuesday her husband faces almost identical amputations.
Jennifer Stolpa, 20, was in stable condition at Washoe Medical Center after 11 hours of surgery to remove dead tissue and reconstruct blood vessels and muscles so she will be able to walk without prostheses."We removed one-third of her left foot and slightly more than one-fourth of her right foot," Dr. Louis Bonaldi said at a news conference.
He said James Stolpa, 21, would face a similar operation once doctors evaluate his wife's amputation, possibly by the end of the week.
The couple's truck became mired in a snowdrift Dec. 29 in the extreme northwestern corner of Nevada when they tried to take a shortcut on a trip from Castro Valley, Calif., to attend a funeral in Pocatello, Idaho.
Jennifer Stolpa and the baby huddled in a snow-packed shelter while James Stolpa trudged nearly 60 miles for help. They were rescued Jan. 6.
Bonaldi said Mrs. Stolpa's injuries were more severe than her husband's, so it was decided to operate on her first.