Peterborough mum-of-two who lost 10 fingers to sepsis must now have leg amputated

A mother-of-two who had all 10 fingers amputated after contracting sepsis on Christmas Day has been told she will now need her leg amputated.

Sadie Kemp, 34, only returned home in April after spending 103 nights in hospital following the shock diagnosis, which she had initially thought was just back pain.

Doctors had warned her that she may lose further limbs and have now told her that her left leg will need to be removed below the knee. They are still attempting to save her right leg.

She said: “I knew it was coming but when you actually hear it, like this is definitely what's happening it hits home a little bit.

“I didn’t cope very well for about two days after but then I just remember that the sooner I get it done I can get prosthetics and learn how to drive again and live a fairly reasonable, normal life."

Ms Kemp, from Peterborough, was rushed to A&E on Christmas Day in 2021 with what she thought was back pain. She was given pain relief and told to return if it got worse, and the next day collapsed in front of doctors.

She woke up from life support two weeks later after going into septic shock from a kidney stone which caused the skin on her arms and legs begin dying from lack of blood supply.

After a gruelling programme of treatment, she returned home to her two sons, Kenzie, 16, and Hendrix, two, in April.

She has been documenting her experiences on TikTok, where she talks about her recovery and the challenges she is facing.

Of the prospect of using a wheelchair for three months, she said: “I'm not scared about having the pain of an operation, I'm scared of being so restricted.

"Before I’d be able to put these special boots on and I’d be able to stand up, walk to the toilet, look in the fridge, play in the garden with my boy but I'm not going to be able to do that and that's what I'm scared about the most.

"It seems like I'm going to be taking a step back instead of a step forward."

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the immune system responds to an infection and starts to damage the body’s own tissue and organs.

Septic shock happens when someone with sepsis has a severe drop in blood pressure - a condition which can be fatal.

Ms Kemp is hoping to get prosthetic hands and her supporters have so far raised £45,000 through a GoFundMe page to meet the estimated £70,000 cost for a pair.

She added: “I’ve always said when I get prosthetics I want them to look like prosthetics, I don’t want to blend into the crowd. I really want new hands for Christmas as I got poorly on Christmas Day."

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