Woman Needed New Kidney After Losing All 4 Limbs Following Emergency C-Section. Her Big Brother Stepped Up
4Brie Morgan Bauer and her older brother, George MorganCredit: Brie Morgan Bauer/InstagramNEED TO KNOWBrie Morgan Bauer became a quadruple amputee after developing septic shock and organ failure following an emergency C-section in 2024
After learning she needed a kidney transplant, Brie feared she might not find a match — until her older brother, George Morgan, learned he was a perfect donor
The siblings underwent a successful transplant on March 25, allowing Brie to stop dialysis and focus on moving forward
A quadruple amputee from Kansas had lost hope after learning she would need a kidney transplant to survive — until her big brother came to the rescue.
In February 2024, Brie Morgan Bauer was 27 weeks pregnant with her third child when she felt stiffness in her shoulder. She began having contractions hours later, which resulted in an emergency C-section, per InvestigateTV and KCTV 5.
Brie, now 37, slipped into a 10-day coma during the procedure. She was ultimately diagnosed with an infection that caused septic shock and organ failure, per KCTV.
The situation only got worse from there: Doctors were ultimately forced to remove both her arms and legs over the course of multiple surgeries in order to save her life.
The mom of three then received even more bad news: She would need 16 grueling hours of dialysis a week in order to live due to the organ damage she had sustained. Her only hope for a more normal life was a kidney transplant, but she was unsure if she would ever find a match.
Doctors told her that her best bet for finding a donor was through a sibling. However, when two of her three siblings got tested and were not matches, Brie said she all but lost hope.
“After I learned that, I didn’t even think about anything else,” she recalled while speaking to InvestigateTV. “I was terrified that we weren’t going to be able to find a match because it usually is a sibling.”
Her older brother, George Morgan, still hadn’t gotten his results — but he, too, thought the chances of a match were slim.
“I never assumed that any of (the siblings) would be a match,” he said while speaking to InvestigateTV. “My research was like the chance of this is very, very minimal.”
However, George, who is a decade older than Brie and lives in Colorado, said he got unexpected news from one of Brie’s doctors while on a hike.
“(The doctor) kind of slow played it at first, but she was like, ‘You are a perfect match for your sister,’ ” he recalled. “I’m like, ‘Say that again. I just want to make sure I’m understanding exactly what you’re saying.’ “
Prior to that call, George — who had spent countless days and nights with his sister at the hospital following her amputations — said it had been extremely hard to watch Brie struggle.
“[It was] very, very difficult to just have nothing you can do to change an outcome,” George told the outlet, adding that he knew his sister had a “stubborn streak” and was going to find a way forward.
George surprised Brie with the news on her birthday during a FaceTime call in February — and jokingly accompanied it with a coupon for “one pre-owned kidney.”
“Everyone just started freaking out,” Brie said while recalling the day.
She added that the moment brought back memories of their late father.
“I looked at him, and I just saw my dad’s eyes come through,” she said. “And that’s what made me kind of emotional is — if my father was here and how proud … he would be of (George) stepping up like this.”
Brie and George went into surgery on March 25, and there were no complications.
Brie, who is now a resilience activist for people who have experienced major life changes due to medical conditions and documents her health journey on social media, posted about the procedure the following day on Instagram.
“Yesterday, my brother saved my life,” she began in her post.
“The transplant was successful. I’m resting, healing, and still trying to process that this is real. There’s so much I want to say, but right now it all comes back to one thing… gratitude. For him, for this chance, for every single person who showed up for us in ways big and small,” she continued.
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She added: “We made it through surgery. Now we heal.”
Brie said now that she no longer needs dialysis, she has more time to spend with her children. Additionally, she now experiences less swelling, which will enable her to begin using prosthetic limbs.
“I’m just trying to absorb what this new life is,” Brie told InvestigateTV. “Subconsciously, I’m just pushing away what happened and thinking of this as a new perspective.”