Roxanne Ouweleen
ASMP Advocate

After nearly losing her life to bacterial meningitis, Roxanne Ouweleen's journey to recovery has been marked by immense challenges and resilience. What began as a routine 5K race in May 2016 quickly turned into a life-threatening ordeal when she became severely ill just hours after the race. Her husband, Mark, rushed her to the hospital, where doctors discovered a bacterial infection so severe that her organs began to shut down. Roxanne spent nine weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple amputations due to irreversible tissue damage caused by the infection. Both of her hands were amputated before she left the hospital, and later, both legs below the knee were also amputated. Despite these hardships, Roxanne has shown incredible strength, learning to walk with prosthetics and adjust to life with a robotic hand. Her determination to overcome these obstacles, along with the unwavering support from family and friends, has been a source of inspiration to those around her. “I’m trying to reach as many people that may be in the same situation as possible to support them and give them any kind of pointers or advice...or just listening.”