"I'm not scared of sepsis anymore"- Sepsis survivor mum who lost all four limbs now seeking to spread awareness of the condition

Sepsis survivor Sadie Kemp, from Sawtry, has urged people to be vigilant and to look out for the signs of the condition.

Sadie, 37, had to have all of her four of her limbs amputated after falling ill on Christmas Day 2021.

She visited A&E at Hinchingbrooke Hospital twice before being admitted for treatment of kidney stones. Initially she was just given pain relief for her back pain with doctors not picking up on the seriousness of the condition.

Following an investigation, it was later found that delays in her treatment triggered the events that led to the amputation of all of Sadie’s fingers as well as her feet at the ankle after she contracted gangrene.

Now, on Sepsis Awareness month, Sadie has urged others to be vigilant of the signs.

Sadie said: “I had lower back pain to the point it was unbearable. I couldn’t move, I went to the hospital and I was set home with pain relief, not realising it was sepsis. When I went back a few hours later, it was too late for me. I had to be put in an induced coma, which resulted in me losing all four of my limbs.

"It is so important that people know the signs of sepsis. I thought it was a lower back pain and it wasn’t. If people think they have sepsis-like symptoms, all the need to do is go to A&E or call 999 and explain that they have symptoms of sepsis and they could be seen immediately."

What are the signs and symptoms of sepsis?

- Low body temperature/shivering - Confusion - Slurred speech - Difficulty breathing - Clammy or sweaty skin - Skim mottled or discoloured - Extreme pain or discomfort - High heart rate - Weak pulse or low blood pressure - Low urine output

A child may have sepsis if they are:

- Breathing very fast - Having a ‘fit’ or convulsion - Look mottled, bluish or pale - Have a rash that doesn’t fade when you press it - Are lethargic or difficult to wake up - Feel abnormally cold to touch

Sadie added: “It’s better to be safe than sorry. My sepsis was from a simple kidney infection I could have got antibiotics for and I would have been absolutely fine.

"If you have got any of those signs, it's a sign of an infection and you need to get anti-biotics and you need to get help. Sepsis can cause you to lose your limbs or even die.

“For me, I woke up in a completely new year to be told I was losing all my limbs.

“The journey mentally was horrific. Physically it was hard too but I was motivated by the fact that I was told I was going to be in a wheelchair and I wouldn’t be able to look after myself. I was determined to show that I can and would to those things. I’ve learnt to do a lot with the hands I have left.

"Mentally it was a real, real struggle though. I’ve had flashbacks and been so scared of any infection for me and my family got. If my little boy I'd be so paranoid and scared.

I’m not scared of sepsis anymore!

“Now though, I’m not scared of sepsis anymore because I know how to catch it early and to get the help required.”

"I’m still in recovery, but I’m doing much better and I’m a mum of two.”

Three years on and Sadie remains on the road to recovery but has made significant steps in regaining her independence, finding new ways to things she could before as well as being a mother to her two children, aged 19 and 4.

She is now walking again too with the use to prosthetic legs.

At the time of her diagnosis, Sadie was training to be a nurse but she now says that the way she can still help people is by raising awareness of sepsis ant the signs.

Among a number of her ventures, Sadie has been working closely with motivational speaker and mental health campaigner Atiq Rehamn, from Peterborough, and has been to visit a number of schools to give talks about her experiences, with the message being to ‘fight for yourself and not giving up until you get where you want to be.

Sadie has also help speak to children about how to cope with bullying after experience some negative comments after sharing her sepsis journey on TikTok to over a million followers.

Sadie added: “My message to everybody would be to not be scared of sepsis. Just learn the symptoms and if you can recognise them early and get medical treatment and it will be ok.

"I don’t want to make people scared, I just want to make them aware so we can save a lot of lives and a lot of limbs.

"My purpose is now to make people aware of sepsis. I was training to be a nurse, I wanted to help people and make them better and the only way I can do that now I have lost my limbs is to spread awareness of something that changes my life forever. “

Sepsis Awareness Month takes place throughout September, with World Sepsis Day in 2024 falling on September 13. The awareness month has been created by Sepsis Alliance. Support can also be accessed from the UK Sepsis Trust at https://sepsistrust.org/.