Sheffield woman loses part of leg and fingers to sepsis she mistook for a cold

Alexandra (Alex) Plank, 41, from Greenhill in Sheffield, came close to dying from sepsis three years ago. Her story has been told by BBC News and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

From a cold to resuscitation

In May 2023, Alex was at home with her youngest daughter when she began to feel unwell. She assumed it was a "nasty cold". Her husband was at Sheffield Children's Hospital with their eldest daughter, who was an inpatient being treated for cystic fibrosis, so Alex carried on juggling work with nursery drop-offs and pick-ups.

According to the hospital trust, the sepsis progressed rapidly. Doctors told her husband she would probably not recover. Moments later she went into cardiac arrest, and A&E doctors performed CPR for three minutes. She was then taken to critical care at the Northern General Hospital, where she spent six weeks.

Amputations and recovery

Because blood flow to her extremities was restricted, her right foot and ankle, the toes on her left foot and the fingers on both hands began to die. To give her the best chance of a good quality of life, her right leg was amputated below the knee, along with the toes on her left foot and most of her fingers. Her organs are still affected: her lung and kidney function remain low.

Alex relearnt how to walk. According to the trust, she is now running the Sheffield 10K and praises staff for their quick action, which made a normal life possible. The BBC's description says she has had to rebuild her life after the amputations.

What this means for people in the UK

The story shows that sepsis can begin with symptoms resembling a cold. Information on symptoms and when to seek help is available on the NHS website or by calling 111. In an emergency, call 999.