Trisha Stevens, a 38‑year‑old mother of six from Portland, Oregon, filed a lawsuit seeking $68.5 million in damages against several physicians and the regional health system Legacy Health. The legal action follows a routine hysterectomy that, according to the complaint, resulted in a life‑threatening infection, the amputation of both legs and her right hand, and extensive tissue loss.
Background and surgery
Stevens underwent a hysterectomy performed by Dr. Alvin Nakamura on October 4, 2024 at Adventist Health in Portland. Four days after the operation, pathology results indicated inflammation at the surgical site. The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Nakamura never reviewed the results, failed to inform Stevens, and took no steps to address the inflammation.
Rapid deterioration and hospital care
Approximately two weeks after the procedure, Stevens experienced sharp abdominal pain while attending her son’s softball game, followed by vaginal bleeding. She contacted Dr. Nakamura’s clinic, Bridgetown Medical Group, reporting a blood clot described as “the size of a baseball,” a low‑grade fever, diarrhea and cramping. A nurse relayed Dr. Nakamura’s advice to monitor the bleeding at home and return only if another clot passed.
Later that night, Stevens went to the emergency department at Legacy Mount Hood. Hospital staff recorded a racing heart, low blood pressure and rapid breathing. She was reported to be saturating vaginal pads with blood at a rate of three per hour. Clinicians diagnosed peritonitis, lactic acidosis, acute kidney injury, bacteremia and septic shock. On‑call OB/GYN Dr. Gregory Eilers noted that the edges of the surgical closure were raw and separated, indicating infection, but the complaint says he did not order additional surgery or testing for intra‑abdominal infection.
Legal claims and aftermath
The lawsuit contends that the infection spread unchecked, leading to multiple organ failure. Over the ensuing weeks, both of Stevens’ legs were amputated above the knee, her right hand was amputated at the wrist, and portions of her left thumb and finger were removed. Tissue necrosis also caused loss of parts of her lips and tongue, significant hair loss, and spinal cord damage that left her paraplegic.
Stevens told KGW, “I came home having lost both of my legs and my right hand. My left hand was left unusable after the necrosis. I lost parts of my lips and tongue, and I live with paralysis in a body that no longer responds the way it once did.” She described the emotional toll, saying, “There are days I still do not know which was harder: almost dying or waking up and realizing everything was taken from me.”
Her husband, Brian Stevens, now serves as her primary caretaker. The couple says the complications have fundamentally altered daily life; Stevens can no longer play with her children or navigate a home not designed for wheelchair access. She noted that even a familiar gravel driveway can impede her wheelchair.
The complaint alleges negligence on several fronts: Legacy Health staff for delaying treatment of the abdominal infection and mismanaging blood pressure; Dr. Nakamura and Bridgetown Medical for failing to evaluate her symptoms promptly or refer her to emergency care after the hysterectomy. Stevens emphasized that her fight was not merely to survive but to retain independence, stating, “I survived because I desperately want to live it and God saved me!”
Mitchell Landsberg is a Senior Technology Correspondent at News Raise. He covers consumer electronics, artificial intelligence, software developments, and digital privacy trends.
