A Fight For Limbs: A Mums Battle For Independence

Hi my name is Sadie and I am making an urgent appeal to raise money for a life changing surgery which will help me gain independence with hopes of a normal lifestyle after having both my hands and legs amputated. Please read my story below:

An inspirational 35-year-old mum is in a race against time to raise over £150000 for state-of-the-art prosthetic legs. She desperately needs the funds in time for Thursday, when she will have her legs amputated.

Sadie says, “I can’t believe any of this has happened. One day I was leading a normal life, now I’m facing the future with no hands or feet, all because of an untreated kidney stone.”

Mum of two Sadie Kemp’s nightmare started on Christmas Day last year. She’d spent the morning building her two year old son Hendrix’s new playhouse so when she felt a twinge in her back as she sat down for lunch, she put it down to that. But as the day continued the pain became agonising and by mid-afternoon she had to go to A and E.

There she was given painkillers and told to go back the next day for a scan as they don’t do them on Christmas day.

But by 3am on Boxing Day the pain was unenduarable and she went back, where she collapsed and was blue lit to nearby Peterborough hospital.

Once there they operated to remove a kidney stone, but she went into septic shock on the table.

When she came to, 10 days later she was told the devastating news that her hands and feet were gangrenous due to sepsis and would need to be amputated.

She remembers, “I turned to my mum and said they should have switched off the life support machine – I thought my life was over. But now I’m so grateful to be alive and be able to be a mum to my boys, who are my world – but I just want to live the best life possible.”

Sadie’s hands were amputated in March – in a pioneering operation where they were sewn into her stomach to create new blood flow for her skin grafts - and at the time surgeons hoped they would be able to save her legs.

But sadly she learnt in July they would need to be amputated and on Thursday they will operate.

Now she’s desperately trying to raise money for state of the art prosthetic legs that will allow her to live a normal life, and be able to drive and run around with her sons, Hendrix, two, and Kenzie, 16,.

She says, “I thought I had time to fundraise but my feet keep getting infected and doctors need to do the operation as soon as possible.

“I’m desperate to have the best legs I can. I’ve already lost my hands and I just want to be able to be a mum to my boys and live a normal life with them.”

Though Sadie has struggled with her new reality, she’s also been an inspiration. She’s been fundraising for the critical care department which saved her life and doing voluntary work, going into schools to talk about what she’s been through and raise awareness of turning negatives into positives, bullying and body image.

Sadie says, “I never imagined my life would be like this. This time last year I was just a normal mum, I’d left an unhappy marriage and had just got together with a new boyfriend who I was in love with, I had a job working for track and trace, and was doing a nursing degree as well. Every Wednesday I’d go swimming with Hendrix, I went to watch football – I was happy and felt like my life was all ahead of me.

“And then at Christmas my whole life changed. I’ve lost everything, my job, my home and the future that I had planned.

“I’ve had to move back in with my parents as there’s so much I can’t do the way I am. I’m in constant pain. Sadly my new relationship ended because he couldn’t cope with the changes in me, and I’ve even lost friends for the same reason. I’m having to learn how to be a mum when I haven’t got any fingers left.

“I know I need my legs amputated, but it feels so final and I’m frightened of what will happen next. If I have NHS prosthetics, there’s so much I will never be able to do again.”

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for any donations it really means so much to me and boys!

Links to social media accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadie.evettnew

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sadienew87?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sadiessepsisjourney?_t=8UuyTQgVcJi&_r=1