NASHVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – It started like the flu: fever, upset stomach and coughing. Then his hands and feet started to go numb. Regiss Williams, 55, walked into a Clarksville hospital on his own, and in a matter of hours, he was being LifeFlighted to Nashville.
Williams has now been in the hospital since Dec. 5, and it has been an uphill battle ever since. At one point, doctors told his girlfriend, Becky Jorgensen, 42, that she needed to start calling his family, because they didn’t see Williams leaving the hospital.
Miraculously, he survived the worst of it. But his survival has come at a price: Williams has lost both of his legs and both of his arms.
Making a family, moving to Clarksville
In 2022, Jorgensen, her family, and Williams moved to Tennessee from Florida to make Clarksville their home. Jorgensen and Williams had been together for almost a year and a half, and as they grew closer, talks of marriage started around Thanksgiving 2023. He had become close with Becky’s children, and he considered them to be his stepchildren, and likewise, they viewed him as a second father.
Things were going well until Dec. 4, when Williams began experiencing flu-like symptoms and a cold numbness and tingling in his hands and feet. They walked into Tennova ER-Sango together, not knowing the severity of his case.
“I was in the waiting room for around an hour when they took him back,” Jorgensen told Clarksville Now. “When they finally called me back, they told me, ‘He’s really sick.'”
Hospital staff told her his kidneys had failed, his liver was having issues, and he was having extreme difficulty breathing. They started to put him on a BiPAP. He was still struggling, and doctors and nurses sedated and intubated him. In a matter of hours, Williams was transported to Nashville, first to TriStar Centennial and later to the ICU at TriStar Skyline.
Test of strength
His health continued to decline over the coming days, despite doctors’ best efforts. He was barely lucid as “ICU delirium” set in and he began to lose track of time, believing he was back in the 1980s. Soon, he turned septic. Several weeks later, doctors reached a formal diagnosis: pneumococcal infection, which can cause hearing loss, brain damage or death. The fatality rate can be as high as 60% among older adults, according to the CDC.
After being put on dialysis and an aggressive amount on antibiotics, Williams remained in critical condition. His fever peaked at 105 degrees, his resting heart rate was 150 BPM, and his extremities were at risk with no way of saving them without him dying in the process.
Jorgensen said Williams’ doctor pulled her aside and said she needed to start making phone calls. “Without really saying it, they said that they don’t think he’s going to leave. So basically, get all his family here.”
But neither Williams nor the doctors gave up. Both his arms and legs were amputated, and against the odds, Williams survived.
A sense of humor and staying strong
At the invitation of Williams and Jorgensen, Clarksville Now went to Tristar Skyline to interview Williams. He was sitting up and in the middle of physical therapy, with bandages covering the amputation wounds on his arms and legs. He was able to crack jokes with the nurses.
“Come on, Regiss, lean forward until you feel my fingers!” one therapist encouraged him.
Williams rolled his eyes and gave the therapist a teasing, doubtful look. “Now, if I fall out of this bed …” He was cut off by assurances from his therapists.
Despite having surgeries almost every other day, with grafts after the infection spread to his skin, and with regular physical therapy to strengthen his body, Williams remains in good spirits.
“Sit up and look pretty for your picture,” another therapist told him. He looked at her in disbelief and jokingly exclaimed, “Pretty?!”
He strives to continue healing, and more than anything, he’s ready to be home. Williams said getting this second chance at life made him realize family was truly most important, particularly Jorgensen.
“It’s thanks to her. She’s been by my side all this time. When she told me about this happening, I said, ‘I was that bad? I wasn’t supposed to be leaving?’ I was afraid to lose her, lose the kids … When I get home, I want to reconnect with the kids, reconnect with the family,” Williams tearfully said. “I just want family around me.”
To the next person who may find themself in this situation, Williams said, “Stay strong and think about the future. That’s what I think about to stay strong. The future is being with my family.”
If you would like to help Williams and his family, a GoFundMe has been set up for his immediate and long-term medical needs, hospital stays, bills, rehabilitation and physical therapy, prosthetics, equipment and adjustments needs to his home, as well as any additional responsibilities and care he may need.
DON’T MISS A STORY: Click here to sign up for our free daily email newsletter