Manjit Sangha, a 56-year-old Indian-origin woman in the UK, lost all her limbs after contracting sepsis, which doctors believe may have been triggered by a lick from her pet dog on a small cut or scratch.
According to a report by the BBC, the 56-year-old fell ill in July last year after returning home from work feeling unwell. By the following morning, she was unconscious. Her hands and feet had turned ice-cold, her lips were purple, and she was struggling to breathe.
However, fighting against the odds, Manjit survived after spending 32 weeks in hospital, with several cardiac arrests and four-limb amputations. She returned home on Wednesday, and now, as she recovers and begins to rebuild her life, she is warning others of the danger of sepsis, saying, “It could happen to anybody”.
"It's difficult to explain the experience. Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing. It's very serious and not to be taken lightly,” Manjit told the BBC.
'Saturday she's playing with the dog, Monday she's in coma'
Kam Sangha, Manjit’s husband, recalled his wife’s health declining at an alarming rate. “Your mind is all over the place. You’re thinking ‘how can this happen in less than 24 hours?’ One minute on a Saturday she’s playing with the dog, Sunday she’s gone to work, Monday night she’s in a coma,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Kam Sangha, Manjit’s husband, recalled his wife’s health declining at an alarming rate. “Your mind is all over the place. You’re thinking ‘how can this happen in less than 24 hours?’ One minute on a Saturday she’s playing with the dog, Sunday she’s gone to work, Monday night she’s in a coma,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The couple told the outlet that while Manjit was in intensive care at New Cross Hospital, her heart stopped six times. Surgeons at Russells Hall Hospital later amputated both her legs below the knee and both hands after the infection spread. She also lost her spleen, battled pneumonia and developed gallstones that may require further surgery.
“I didn’t know what was happening. The first month I do not remember anything,” she said.
The couple, who marked their 37th wedding anniversary and Manjit’s birthday in hospital, are now fundraising for advanced prosthetics, including possible robotic hands that could cost tens of thousands of pounds. They have raised more than £22,000 through a GoFundMe page and workplace fundraisers.
Despite the ordeal, Sangha remains determined. “I want to get walking. I want to get my prosthetics [and] to go back to work. I’ve sat down in my chair and my bed enough. It’s time to walk now,” she said.
Google Trends
Following Manjit Sangha’s story being widely shared, people took to Google to find out more about how a dig lick could cause sepsis. “Dog lick sepsis” was among the most Googled terms in India on Tuesday.
(Also Read: Sydney woman’s routine manicure turns into a life-threatening nightmare after severe infection)
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a rare but serious condition in which the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection and begins attacking its own tissues and organs. According to the NHS, it is life-threatening and can be difficult to detect.
Symptoms in adults can include slurred speech, extreme shivering, severe breathlessness and mottled or discoloured skin.