A RUBERY paramedic has shared her personal battle with sepsis to raise awareness of the life-threatening condition.

Becky Mortimer, who works as a paramedic at West Midlands Ambulance Service’s Hollymoor hub fell ill last November because of a Strep A infected lymph node.

Becky underwent emergency surgery and a week in an Intensive Care Unit, followed by a further three weeks in hospital.

Since being discharged from hospital, Becky has developed Post Sepsis Syndrome.

Becky said: “It’s really important to me that I can raise awareness for the symptoms of sepsis and just how serious it can be.

“I see patients with sepsis quite often within my role and unfortunately suffered with it myself. Quick recognition can lead to faster treatment, resulting in a shorter or potentially less severe experience with the illness.

“After recovering from Sepsis and developing Post Sepsis syndrome, I reached out for support from the UK Sepsis Trust who were able to help me while I dealt with the recovery period.”

To support Becky and the UK Sepsis Trust Jeanette Mortimer, Becky’s mum took on the challenge to walk 10,000 steps every day in July to raise money.

Jeanette said: “I had heard about sepsis before but hadn’t experienced it until seeing how severely ill Becky was.

“It’s a common misconception that sepsis can only affect the very young or elderly, but this isn’t true, and we all need to familiarise ourselves with the symptoms.

“This is why I have taken on the challenge of walking 10,000 steps a day to raise funds for the UK sepsis Trust and hopefully in doing so, I can reach more people who don’t yet know about the signs of sepsis.”

Jeanette has raised more than £800 through her JustGiving page which is still open for donations. To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jeanette-mortimer.