Overland Park native and KU nursing school grad Brie Morgan Bauer sat down with me for one of the most powerful conversations I've ever recorded. At 27 weeks pregnant, Brie went into septic shock from an undiagnosed case of strep throat — and in a matter of days, she lost all four limbs, underwent emergency surgery, spent 10 days in a coma, and later received a kidney transplant from her brother. What she didn't lose? Her sense of humor, her belief, or her drive to help others.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Brie's path from K-State to KU nursing school to life in Kansas City
- The terrifying 24 hours that led to septic shock while 27 weeks pregnant
- What sepsis actually is — and why pregnancy makes you more vulnerable
- Making life-or-death decisions about amputation with her husband and mom
- Hallucinations, near-death moments, and finding "a second version of life"
- Rehab and recovery at Ability KC, learning to walk and use prosthetics again
- The kidney transplant journey with her brother George
- Building a 400k+ Instagram following (@beauandbrie) and launching Brie's Hope to raise sepsis awareness and support families across Kansas City and beyond
This is a Kansas City story about resilience, motherhood, nursing, faith, and community — and why listening to your body (and advocating for yourself at the doctor's office) can save your life.
Links & Resources:
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Chapters 0:00 – Intro & welcome to the podcast 0:56 – Meet Brie Morgan Bauer 1:53 – From K-State to KU nursing school 2:44 – Career as a research nurse, published in JAMA 3:40 – Moving back to Kansas City 4:05 – Losing her father & a sign from above 5:41 – 27 weeks pregnant and feeling off 6:30 – The moment everything changed at the OB 7:18 – Emergency C-section & Bo's birth 7:43 – Septic shock diagnosis 9:14 – What is sepsis? The strep throat connection 10:43 – Why pregnancy makes sepsis more dangerous 11:16 – Emergency surgery & a 10% survival chance 12:34 – How sepsis spreads through the body (DIC explained) 15:57 – Losing her limbs, hour by hour 16:47 – Getting to KU Med & the road to waking up 17:39 – A "purgatory" experience while unconscious 19:15 – Waking up, hallucinations & the asteroid delusion 22:03 – Advice for talking to someone in a coma 23:28 – Near-death moment #2: hemorrhaging after surgery 24:03 – Deciding on amputation with her husband & mom 26:19 – Dark humor & "I'll say I climbed Mount Everest" 27:38 – Why she started Brie's Hope Foundation 29:20 – The power of self-advocacy in the hospital 30:34 – A dangerous fungus scare 33:53 – Ketamine for pain management, explained 35:50 – Keeping her hand bones as a keepsake 38:57 – Finding a "second version of life" 41:16 – Would you give up your limbs for your baby? 44:48 – What her husband would've done if she hadn't survived 46:49 – How strangers and kids react to her story 50:22 – Building a 400k+ Instagram following 52:36 – Starting Brie's Hope Foundation & the grant process 1:02:51 – Messages from followers around the world 1:08:00 – Rehab at Ability KC — VR, PT & relearning basics 1:11:04 – Learning to use prosthetics (and watching Bo learn to walk at the same time) 1:16:55 – The kidney transplant journey begins 1:20:02 – Advocating for organ & kidney donation 1:22:02 – Her brother George's kidney match reveal 1:24:50 – Two years on dialysis & waiting for a match
Thank you to our podcast host, sponsor and media partner, Real Media! VisitRealMediaKC.com to learn more about their full service audio and video services! 