A 53-year-old woman from the Hubei Province of China was left horrified when eight of her ten fingers suddenly turned black while she was completing her household chores. The cause? A small cut she sustained while doing her housework that she had left untreated.

Local channel Feedy TV reported that the woman, Mrs Zhang initially paid little notice to the cut since it was so small in size. Two days later, however, Mrs Zhang spotted a bruise blooming around the wound before spreading to her fingers.

Soon, her both her hands – save for her left thumb and right pinky finger – turned black. Mrs Zhang also experienced itchiness, dryness, pain and numbness in the affected areas.

Horrified, Mrs Zhang rushed to the hospital where she was diagnose with gangrene due to an infection that arose in the small cut. Because she sought treatment promptly, Mrs Zhang’s symptoms have since improved.

Gangrene is a condition that occurs when body tissue dies. It is caused by a loss of blood supply due to an underlying illness, injury, and/or infection. Fingers, toes, and limbs are most often affected, but gangrene can also occur inside the body, damaging organs and muscles.