A dad who went to hospital suffering a "slight temperature" ended up in a coma for six weeks and needed to have his arm and leg amputated.
Junaid Ahmed, 35, believed he had flu symptoms when he had a high temperature so decided to go to the local A&E for the ailment before having to fight for his life.
After arriving at the hospital, the father-of-two collapsed and spent six weeks in a coma following his sepsis prognosis.
As a result he has had his right calf, left forearm and left toes amputated, and is now trying to raise more than £100,000 for a bionic arm so he can hug his two children.
Junaid said: "The last thing I remember is having something to eat with my wife as we waited to be seen.
"Apparently I passed out and the next thing I remember is waking up in hospital six weeks later.
"Waking up six weeks later was the biggest shock of my life. I was terrified and so confused.
"Shortly after medics broke the news that to give me the best quality of life, I'd have to have my right calf, left forearm and left toes amputated. In that moment, I told them to do whatever they could.
"I just wanted to live for my family, my kids and wife. I can't wait to be able to hug them properly with my new arm and I've been so overwhelmed with the support so far with the fundraiser."
In September 2021, Junaid started experiencing a tingling sensation in his right foot. He had chronic back pain and had a spinal cord stimulator inserted at a private hospital in Chigwell, Essex in May 2022.
In June 2022, Junaid went to A&E at Queen's Hospital in Romford, East London when he was diagnosed with sepsis which had caused his liver, heart and lungs to fail, and placed Junaid into an induced coma.
Two weeks later he was transferred to University College London Hospital in Euston to save his life.
Sepsis is the body's overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
Doctors think he caught an infection, which led to sepsis, as a result of his spinal procedure months earlier.
Medical experts explained he had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) - a rare disease caused by an overactive, abnormal response of the immune system which was further compounding his health problems.
As a result of HLH, low blood pressure and sepsis, Junaid underwent multiple blood transfusions during his coma.
They saved his life, but the blood flow to his foot, arm and toes had already dropped so low they had started to die and were subsequently amputated in two four-hour surgeries.
He got a prosthetic leg in January and was adamant he was going to walk into his home once his rehabilitation was complete for his two children and wife Rabia.
Junaid added: "I arrived at the rehab centre on a stretcher as I was unable to move at all. Within two days they had me in a wheelchair - it was incredible.
"I was determined to walk out of the physio centre for my wife and two children. My wife, Rabia, has been my rock throughout it all.
"If I can get my bionic arm, I'll be able to get back into the gym properly. I miss being active - it makes me the best version of myself for my wife and our kids."
Junaid started a GoFundMe page to buy a bionic arm and has raised over £10,000 in donations so far.
