PINE RIDGE, S.D. — Kiya Twobulls' life took a dramatic turn in October 2021 when an evening of drinking with friends led to a life-threatening situation. Living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Kiya and her friends ran out of alcohol and turned to a bootlegger. Unknowingly, they purchased a bottle containing hand sanitizer, which Kiya consumed. This mistake nearly cost her her life.

Kiya's liver began to fail, and her body went into shock. Within hours, she was flown to a hospital in North Dakota, then transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., as her condition worsened. She spent 18 days in a coma, and her liver was functioning at only 50 percent. Thankfully, she was moved to the top of the transplant list and received a new liver within days.

Her mother, D

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