AFTER six agonising weeks in a coma, Kathleen Maher's worst nightmare was still yet to come.
The former legal secretary, 47, woke up to see her skin had turned black and medics told her it would be the last time she would see her own limbs.
Kathleen, from South Shields, had contracted deadly sepsis and the own way to stop the infection spreading and to save her life was to have her arms and legs amputated.
She said: "You can't imagine how it is to have one life where you go on nice walks, drive about, and do kettlebell exercises with your best friends twice a week.
"And then to go to this other life, where – to start with – your limbs are black, you can't move them, and the next minute they're gone.
"It was like something out of a horror story, what happened."
It was like something out of a horror story, what happened
Heartbroken, Kathleen is now raising funds in the hopes she can get bionic arms – designed for injured soldiers – to transform her standard of living after her life crumbled two years ago.
Kathleen's devastating ordeal began in February 2018 while she was caring for her elderly mum – who suffered with dementia.
She had started to feel shivery, achy and had no appetite – and collapsed unexpectedly at her home in Jarrow, Durham, while making her mum's bed.
Kathleen was later found at the foot of the bed by her brother Anthony.
Anthony rushed Kathleen to South Tyneside District Hospital hospital where medics discovered she had multiple organ failure caused by several major infections – including double pneumonia, endocarditis, influenza B, and sepsis.
Doctors have not been able to establish how she contracted the infections.
She was placed in an induced coma in ICU – and woke up six weeks later to find that all four limbs were unusable.
"It was just a horrible experience waking up like that," she said.
"I couldn't move my hands or feet – I couldn't even lift my head, it was that bad."
Kathleen broke down – and doubted whether or not she had the strength to go through the ordeal.
I couldn't move my hands or feet – I couldn't even lift my head, it was that bad
"It was absolutely heartbreaking – even though I was told it was the only option, you just think in your heart of hearts you don't know if you can go through with it.
"I knew, though, after that, there'd be serious complications – and since I wasn't expected to live without the operations, they were all that would save me."
Kathleen had two six-hour operations over two consecutive weeks in April – first to remove her legs six inches below the knee, then her arms five inches above the elbow.
She was finally discharged in December and now has basic prosthetics but she says they offer little help with her independence.
Her close friend and former colleague Kate Watson has now started a fundraiser in the hopes of raising £30,000 so Kathleen can have modern prosthetics.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection.
It happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body's own tissues and organs.
You cannot catch sepsis from another person.
Sepsis is sometimes called septicaemia or blood poisoning.
Sepsis can be hard to spot. There are lots of possible symptoms.
Symptoms can be vague. They can be like symptoms of other conditions, including flu or a chest infection.
According to the NHS, symptoms of sepsis include:
- Acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense
- Blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue
- A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- Difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast
Babies with sepsis may also develop symptoms including:
- A weak, high-pitched cry that's not like their normal cry
- Not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities
- Being sleepier than normal or difficult to wake
Source: NHS
“Kathleen is one of the kindest people I know and she worked so hard at her job and then to look after her mum too,” Kate, 56, said.
“When I found out what happened to her I was just stunned by the unfairness of it.
“Her mum who she adored died shortly after. When I found out about the amputations on Facebook I reached out and she told me she was finding her new life difficult and tiring.
“I asked her how she felt about bionic arms and I said I would fundraise for her but only if she was comfortable. She agreed and I think it will make an amazing difference if we can get the money.
“It’s impossible to imagine what it’s like to have carers in and you have no arms or legs.
It’s impossible to imagine what it’s like to have carers in and you have no arms or legs
“I researched the bionic arms and they are incredible. She will be able to do things like wave and put a thumbs up and there are even make-up tutorials online and the things you can do with them are amazing.”
Firstly, £30,000 must be raised to pay for the prosthetics and Kate has been left overwhelmed after inspiring more than £11,000 in donations in just a few days.
“People have just been so generous and lovely,” she said. “One of the good things about lockdown is people have got together for things like this.
“Kathleen is a silent unsung hero type and she would have just accepted this. But I told her I didn’t want to accept it and I wanted to do all I could to help her.”
Commenting on the GoFundMe page, Jackie Liddle wrote: “I used to work with Kathleen many years ago. She was always so good natured and helpful. One of life's givers, who deserves better than this.”
Deborah Mcgurk said: “Kathleen is a lovely lady who is very brave and amazing , if we can help in any way this would make such a difference to her life.”
Viv Sabbatinelli added: “Kathleen you're such an inspiration. I watch you with Anthony walking everyday. You're always smiling and you're my hero.”
Responding to the fundraiser, Kathleen said: “I can’t believe how generous people are – you are all amazing.”
You can donate to help Kathleen get new prosthetics here.
Source: Read Full Article