A MUM-OF-TWO suddenly contracted sepsis and had to have both her legs amputated from the knee down.

Lydia Galbally, 41, from Rayleigh, also had to have her right hand amputated – and fingers from her left hand removed.

Echo:

Couple - Devoted husband Dan Galbally is now crowdfundraising for new prosthetics for his wife

Devoted husband Dan Galbally is now crowdfundraising for new prosthetics for his wife – and more than £80,000 has already been raised in just four days.

Dan, and the couple’s two children, aged nine and 11, are determined to get Lydia back to her old self.

He said: “Despite the clearly devastating and traumatic events of the last seven months, it is important to me to be able to tell you that Lydia has been incredibly brave and outstandingly strongminded throughout.

“She has been, and remains truly inspirational and though she doesn’t believe that about herself, she has shown what a truly remarkable person she is.”

Events unfolded after Lydia contracted a chesty cough and was wheezing for some time. She was told she had asthma and a series of common chest infections.

But in September last year, Lydia, was referred for investigations including an X-ray, CT scan and bronchoscopy.

During the following three days, Lydia rapidly deteriorated, suffering a high fever and extreme shortness of breath. Lydia was diagnosed with acute pneumonia.

However, she was later diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and told her body went into septic shock.

Lydia was rushed to the Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, where she spent 11 days in a coma on life-support after suffering with respiratory and organ failure. She woke with dry gangrene in her hands, feet and tip of her nose.

Lydia was in an isolation room for seven weeks and contracted other health problems. The damage from the tuberculosis infection was substantial as she no longer has full lung capacity. Lydia was finally able to come home after eight long weeks in hospital and she began her two-month rehabilitation treatment this week.

To donate go to www.gofundme.com and search for Lydia Galbally.