Wrexham mum who thought she had stomach bug has leg amputated and might lose the other

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A mum who thought she had a stomach bug has had her leg amputated and will lose her fingers because of sepsis.

Lisa Jones, 44, from Wrexham, said she was given just a 5% chance of surviving after entering a coma while in septic shock.

Her hands and feet turned black as the disease affected the blood supply to her limbs.

She has been told she may also lose her left foot and her fingers will fall off.

Lisa, who is recovering at home four months on, said she is only alive thanks to her "hero" 10-year-old daughter Carly-Ann.

She said: "I used to be the mum and throughout all this she's turned into my mum. She is just amazing and she's got me through it all."

Lisa, who was busy running her own cleaning business at the time, woke up in the middle of the night in June and vomited.

"I thought it was a tummy bug but as the days went by I was feeling more and more ill," she said.

Her sister, Tanya, insisted on eventually calling an ambulance.

Lisa said the last thing she remembered was seeing the words "suspected sepsis" on a screen and a paramedic saying: "'Don't worry Lisa, we're going to get you straight in'."

She was later told by her family she was screaming because of the excruciating pain in her legs, although she cannot remember that.

She woke up from a coma three days later "the talk of the hospital," with doctors and nurses saying it was a "miracle" she was still alive.

Although doctors initially tried to save Lisa's right foot, and despite brief hope she might avoid having it amputated with strenuous physical therapy, it ultimately had to be removed.

Doctors have also told her there is a 50/50 chance her left leg will have to be amputated.

Lisa has not been able to get a prosthetic leg yet, and her dad is fundraising to get her an electric wheelchair.

Due to the damage to her hands, Lisa cannot propel a manual wheelchair and has been told there is a 38-week NHS waiting list to get a motorised one.

Her dad James has started a GoFundMe page and hopes to raise £2,500, both to buy a wheelchair and to adapt Lisa's home.

Lisa said: "I want to lead as much of an independent life as possible."

Reflecting on the support she has received from her family, Lisa said: "It's been very hard on my mental health but my little girl [daughter Carly-Ann] has got me through it. At night-time she's made sure I've been taking my medication.

"She's been making me cups of coffee. When I've gone out in a wheelchair, with my dad or my partner pushing me, she's been texting me to make sure I'm okay."

Lisa also said she has had "amazing" support from her sister, who has been taking care of her business Clean Queens, as well as her parents, her partner Colin and his 14-year-old daughter Evie.

"I wouldn't be here to tell the story without them," she said.

There are around 245,000 sepsis cases each year in the UK, according to the UK Sepsis Trust.

It warns almost any infection can lead to the illness. Doctors believe Lisa initially had a kidney infection.

Symptoms of sepsis include vomiting, a very high or low temperature, and shivering.

Lisa hopes sharing her story will raise awareness.