A woman contracted sepsis after being licked by a dog and had her limbs amputated.
Manjit Sangha spent 32 weeks in hospital, suffering multiple cardiac arrests after becoming unwell. She warned that cases like hers “could happen to anyone”.
Doctors said the 52-year-old woman may have developed sepsis from something harmless, possibly a small wound licked by her dog.
Sepsis is a serious illness that occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection and begins attacking the body’s own tissues and organs.
The British Sepsis Trust estimates that around 50,000 sepsis-related deaths occur in the UK each year.
Manjit Sangha’s heart stopped six times while in intensive care – Kam Sangha
After being discharged from Moseley Hall Hospital in Birmingham on Wednesday, Mrs Sanga said she was still suffering from the amputation of all four limbs.
She told the BBC: “It’s hard to explain this experience. Losing limbs and hands in a short period of time is a very big thing.
“This is a very serious matter and cannot be taken lightly.”
Found unconscious
One Sunday afternoon in July last year, Mrs Sanga came home feeling unwell.
The next morning, she was unconscious, her feet were cold, her lips were blue, and she had trouble breathing.
Her husband, Kam Sangha, said the speed with which she declined was shocking.
“One minute on Saturday she was playing with the dog, on Sunday she was at work and on Monday night she was in a coma,” he said.
Mrs Sanga suffered six cardiac arrests in the intensive care unit at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.
As her condition spread, surgeons had to amputate her legs and hands below the knees and remove her spleen because she also suffered from pneumonia and gallstones.
Sangha, a delivery worker at Screwfix, said he has been off work for seven months to support his wife.
“She’s so strong,” the 60-year-old said, adding: “She proves us wrong every day with what she’s been through.”
Manjit Sangha spent 32 weeks in hospital – Kam Sangha
The former pharmacy worker is now raising money for advanced prosthetics and raising awareness of the dangers of sepsis.
The couple, who celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary in hospital, have raised more than £22,000 through a GoFundMe page and Screwfix.
Mrs Sanga said she was now determined to walk again and return to work.
“I’ve had enough of sitting in chairs and beds. Now it’s time to walk.”
The case comes after June Baxter, a retired legal secretary, was found dead last year from an infection caused by a dog licking a wound on her leg.
An investigation found the 83-year-old was home alone when he fell and cut his leg while using the toilet
On June 29, her granddaughter arrived at the property in Allerborough, Norfolk, with her dog.
Norfolk Coroner’s Court was told the dog licked Baxter’s wound before paramedics arrived and she began to feel unwell the next day.
Tests revealed the presence of Pasteurella multocida, a bacteria commonly found in animals’ mouths, and Baxter died of septic shock on July 7.
Secondary causes of death include kidney, liver and heart disease.
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