A teacher lost both her legs after contracting deadly sepsis.
Julianna Bransden went to bed with flu-like symptoms but ended up in intensive care after her condition "fell off a cliff" and doctors had to battle to save her life.
The terrible drama unfolded after the 44-year-old spend her first Christmas since the pandemic with family, LancsLive reports.
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By Hogmanay she was feeling unwell and "stuck in bed", and by the following day she could barely lift her head off the pillow.
Sister Jac Burgess recalls her brother-in-law telling her how unwell she was was, and how she didn't feel up to sitting in A&E for hours, or getting into the car.
Instead he called 111 for advice and was told that Julianna should get some rest as was only on day two of having a fever and was young, fit and healthy.
However, Tim instinctively called an ambulance for Julianna and it arrived at their home in Narberth, Pembrokeshire, within five minutes - a call that ultimately saved her life.
Jac, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, said: "The doctors told us after that Julianna's body was basically compensating for her and had hidden how bad and ill she really was.
"She's young and healthy but suddenly fell off a cliff. In a timeframe of 30 minutes, her heart had stopped twice."
Within two hours of Julianna - a teacher for 19 years - being admitted into hospital, her mum got a call from the medics who explained that she had sepsis and would need to be on a ventilator.
As a result, Julianna spent 66 days in ICU, being treated for septic shock and organ failure.
Jac added: "They said Julianna was in a 10 litre hydration deficit and was in septic shock. When she first went into hospital, she was so dehydrated they said that her lips looked like if you touched them, they would have cracked completely."
Doctors found that Julianna had aggressive pneumonia, influenza, and invasive Strep A on New Year's Day when she was admitted. At 9pm that evening, the family were told she may not make it through the night.
Jac said: "There was a nurse there that had been working for eight years, one for 22 and another for 10 and they all said they've never seen a patient crash that dramatically. It's just been crazy."
Julianna was admitted to Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest, where Jac described the staff as "phenomenal". As a vet, Jac is used to being in medical environments, but said that seeing her own sister in that situation was "just horrible."
In total, Julianna, mum to Emilia, 14, and William, 11, has spent more than two months in ICU being given one-on-one, round-the-clock care and full life support.
After weeks of fighting for her life, she awoke with severe damage to her hands and feet, having to undergo surgery to have both of her legs amputated below the knee. She will also lost most of her fingers, as they've been severely affected by the sepsis.
Jac said: "We were just desperately praying that she would just survive. I think with sepsis, people just think you either die or you survive.
"But with Julianna's condition, we want to raise awareness that it's not just being in hospital and being a life or death situation. We're now very confident that she's coming home. Her character as well, she's determined she's not going anywhere."
After being in somewhat of an induced coma for three weeks, doctors wanted Julianna to attempt to communicate with them. On the first day, they tried having her blink to respond to questions.
However, it went better than her loved ones could ever imagine. On the second day, the nurse informed her mum that Julianna had started talking, a milestone that usually takes patients at least five days.
Jac said: "She's been scarily stoic and super resilient. She's not just smiling for the pictures, she genuinely is. The only time she changed was when we were going through the GoFundMe and she only got upset because I was upset.
"She's doing so well, I just can't imagine what it's like to not even be able to have a good cry and wipe away your own tears. She's a superstar."
Working through her recovery, Julianna will return to Narberth in a wheelchair and the family are raising vital funds for her home to be adapted, as well as to pay for her prosthetics and anything else she may need in the future.
Jac said: "She's got a long road ahead of her, rebuilding her muscles that have basically disappeared and finding new ways of using her hands.
"She was a really good pianist, so she may not be able to do that again.
But we are feeling incredibly blessed and thankful. She's improving and that's something we never would have dreamed of a few weeks ago."
Ultimately, Julianna and Jac want to raise awareness of sepsis and the idea of following your gut if you feel something is wrong. That night, Tim's quick-thinking by calling an ambulance saved his wife's life, but not everyone's story is a success.
To donate to the fundraiser, visit here.
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