Edinburgh sepsis survivor whose toes were amputated signs up for walking challenge

An Edinburgh mum whose toes were amputated during treatment for sepsis is taking on an ambitious walking challenge to raise awareness of the deadly condition.

With the help of crutches and her husband Nathan, brave Kimberley Bradley is aiming to walk 50 metres a day for five days in support of the charity Sepsis Research FEAT.

She is also among several survivors who have agreed to feature in a “Words of Sepsis” podcast series being produced as part of September’s Sepsis Awareness Month.

By sharing the harrowing details of her own near-death experience, Kimberley, from Portobello, hopes to alert others to the potentially fatal consequences of failing to spot the symptoms of sepsis.

Kimberley Bradley and her husband Nathan

More than three years after being rushed to hospital, she is still recovering from the condition that takes the lives of more than 4,000 people in Scotland every year. It occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals rapidly out of control, injuring its own tissues and organs.

Kimberley’s ordeal began during the Easter weekend of 2019 after she and her husband returned home from a beach walk.

“The weather was really lovely. We came home in the early evening and started making the tea,” she recalls. “I felt very cold and shivery and assumed that I’d maybe got too much sun.”

She now recognises her uncontrollable shivering as a key symptom of sepsis – others being confusion, very high/very low temperature, not passing urine, and blotchy arms and legs.

Kimberley Bradley

As her condition deteriorated, Kimberley went to bed. It was when Nathan went to check on her and found her unable to speak that he decided to call for help.

“I vaguely recall being put into the ambulance and then I was being told that it was eight days later and I had been in an induced coma. I had contracted meningococcal septicaemia which had developed into sepsis with all my organs shutting down,” added Kimberley. “I was shocked at how fast things happened and how close I came to dying."

It was a difficult time for Nathan and the couple’s teenage daughter, Lucy, both of whom had to be vaccinated.

Once out of intensive care, Kimberley then had to endure the agony of her toes auto-amputating before undergoing surgery to remove her remaining toes.

She also received dialysis for her kidneys, which have thankfully now recovered, and required dressings on her hands, feet and nose for necrotic tissue.

Still experiencing infections and nerve pains, her treatment is continuing at home and at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

“I feel like it will never end at times, but hopefully more surgery will sort it out,” said Kimberley, who now uses a wheelchair and mobility scooter.

She has already been training for her walking challenge and has so far raised more than £300 in sponsorship.

"I will be using my crutches with Nathan beside me to catch me! I did a practice walk last week. I was bruised and blistered afterwards but felt so proud of myself," she said.

Her message to others who become suddenly unwell is: “Trust your own instincts and if you are feeling ill, be sure that you let someone know. If my husband hadn’t checked on me through the night, I wouldn’t have survived until the morning.”

To support Kimberley in her Give Us 5 walking challenge go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kimberley-Bradley1