Family of young man who underwent surgery to amputate his legs after having flu-like symptoms tell their story to raise awareness of Sepsis
The family of a young amputee whose lives were 'turned upside down' when he contracted sepsis are helping others recognise the signs and symptoms of the life-threatening condition, which affects 245,000 people in the UK each year.
Levi Dewey, from Willington, was a fit and healthy 20-year-old when he became unwell with flu-like symptoms in December 2022. Despite taking over-the-counter medications and resting for a few days, Levi's condition worsened and days later, his parents took him to hospital after getting concerned with his breathing, which they described as 'quick and shallow.'
Levi's mum Lara said: "I don’t know if it was mum's intuition, but his breathing wasn’t right. He was dosed up on cold and flu tablets but he had a high temperature that wasn’t cooling and he was really drowsy, with no appetite. He just wasn’t my Levi."
Levi was taken to the high dependency unit at Royal Derby Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection which occurs when your body's immune system overreacts to that infection and begins to damage your body's own tissues and organs. He was put into an induced coma and later transferred to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester to receive ECMO, a specialist treatment.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, or ECMO as it is known, is a life-support system that temporarily takes over the function of a patient's failing heart or lungs. It involves pumping blood outside the body through an artificial lung, where carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen is added, before the oxygenated blood is returned to the body. It is a high-risk treatment for severe, potentially reversible heart or lung failure, which provides time for the organs to heal.
Lara said: "It all happened so quickly. We were told to get home and get some rest and then we got a phone call telling us we needed to get there quickly because he was deteriorating. We rushed to be with him and that’s when they told us they didn't know if he was going to make it through the night. He had a 30% chance of survival. It was horrific."
Levi's parents, Lara and Neil, said they had very little knowledge of what sepsis was, and they were shocked to find out that sepsis meant Levi's organs were shutting down.
Lara said: "We had no idea what sepsis was at that point or how bad it could be. I thought it was something that only affected older people, or something you got from a cut, so when I saw him in the hospital bed and he was a mottled colour and his legs were blue, you could see where the sepsis had got hold of him. I'd never seen anything like it in my life."
Doctors told the couple that Levi would need to undergo surgery to amputate both of his legs below the knee, an operation he had two days before his 21st birthday.
When he woke up Levi said he felt lucky to be alive but 'nothing could prepare him for how much his life would change.'
Levi said: "I woke up and Christmas had passed, it was like my life was flipped upside down.
"I was relying on my family to tell me what had happened, it was such a blur.
"It was really difficult because I nearly died and I am so grateful to be here but I had to wrap my head around spending the rest of my life without my legs."
Levi said adaptations to support his recovery were difficult to come to terms with, and there is a mental toll as well as physical change that comes in the aftermath of sepsis.
He said: "When I got home, it didn’t really feel like home because I was stuck living in my front room. I couldn’t get changed by myself or even sit up and because I lost my feet I had to relearn how to drive again with my hands.
"It is those things people can't really understand. I am so lucky to have amazing support and I am so thankful that I am here, but getting sepsis has completely changed my life."
Levi, who has previously visited Royal Derby Hospital to thank the teams who cared for him >, has spoken to us again in a bid to raise awareness of how to spot sepsis early and get lifesaving treatment. Levi's dad, Neil, said this Sepsis Awareness Month his family are keen to help shine a spotlight on sepsis in the hope of helping others.
He said: "Sepsis is actually quite common but we didn’t know much about it before it affected Levi.
"What we have learned is that sepsis affects younger people differently to older people. With older people, because their immune systems are more vulnerable you can see the symptoms more easily, but because Levi was fit and healthy, his immune system was masking his symptoms until it got to a point where his body could no longer cope and he deteriorated rapidly.
"Please familiarise yourself with the symptoms so you know what to look out for."
Dr Alina Paunescu, Emergency Medicine Consultant and Trust Sepsis Clinical Lead, works with colleagues to ensure people in the community, as well as colleagues, are made aware of the signs of sepsis, to help with detection and treatment - and she acknowledges the important role education can play.
She said: "Sepsis affects people of all ages, although very young children and elderly patients are more at risk of developing sepsis after an infection, due to insufficiently developed or compromised immune system.
Dr Paunescu added: "Sadly, Levi's story is not unusual. As sepsis is caused by a dysregulated response to infection, it is not rare for young patients to develop sepsis. This may occur if they contract an aggressive virus or bacteria, they receive inappropriate antibiotics for what initially appears to be a minor infection, or have underlying conditions that compromise their immune system, so it is important to know what signs to look out for and when to seek medical help."
Symptoms include:
- Confusion
- Extreme shivering or severe muscle pain
- Not passed urine (in 18 hours or a whole day)
- Severe breathlessness
- Feeling ‘I know something is badly wrong with me’
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- Dizziness that leads to a faint or collapse
- Racing heartbeat without being anxious
Levi has since returned home and is undergoing regular physiotherapy to help improve his fitness levels and support him in his recovery.
More information on sepsis including symptoms and treatment is available here >.