54-year-old Steve Farmer has worked as a Business Analyst/Technology Manager for Financial Services companies in London since 1995. Originally from the Midlands, he has lived in Windsor since 1994 – for the last 16 years with his wife Catherine and two children, Seth (16) & Noah (11). 

‘I have always been quite active, and that maybe helped me survive,’ he says, ‘mainly running, hill climbing, coaching grass roots football, playing golf and swimming. I am also a keen Nottingham Forest FC supporter. I have suffered from Multiple Sclerosis since 2005 but thankfully it has not caused me any major issues.’ 

Steve was diagnosed with sepsis in the late spring of 2023. This is his story. 

In April of last year, I was rushing home from work, keen to catch a train. I stumbled on a set of stairs in a train station and fell. I had a small cut on my leg, along with a dented ego and bruises. I felt fine though, so carried on home. My leg was bleeding when I got home but my wife and I cleaned it up. I felt ok and decided I would go to A&E if it felt no better in the morning.   

The next morning my leg still hurt and I didn’t feel right, so I went to A&E at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough to be checked out. I saw a doctor who, after a review, gave me a tetanus injection, inspected and redressed the wound and sent me away with some antibiotics. At that stage there was no mention of sepsis nor was I aware of the symptoms. The wound was too small for stitches, but everything seemed generally ok and to be getting better, although my leg did hurt to walk on. Nevertheless, I took my youth football team to a training session hosted by a Premiership footballer in Birmingham as planned. 

After two weeks I finished the course of antibiotics. Almost immediately I started to feel unwell – different to normal. My leg started bleeding again from the cut. My speech had become nonsensical and was very out of character.  My wife took me to a local walk-in centre as directed by NHS 111 and they checked me out. They stitched up the wound and said everything was otherwise generally ok but that if I wanted to go to A&E again, they would write me a note so that I could skip the queues.  

As my wife was driving home, I started feeling very cold and confused and was talking deliriously. I did genuinely feel like I was dying so I asked my wife to take me to A&E. I can remember going into the A&E department at Wexham Park Hospital and seeing one of the triage nurses. All I remember after that is waking from an induced coma, in the ITU there, 21 days later. 

Prior to being placed into the induced coma I had been diagnosed as being in septic shock, caused by a Group A streptococcus Infection. I was given a 10% chance of survival. My family were shocked by how quickly I had deteriorated and the very real possibility that they could lose me. All my family came to see me and sit with me for hours, talking to me and holding my hand. I think I probably had the easy job of just trying to stay alive. I still cannot believe what my family went through or contemplate what they told my children.  

I was in the ITU for 21 days. During this time my blood pressure was dangerously low and my CRP markers were at 440 [anything above 50 suggests serious infection and is a cause for concern]. I was intubated and placed on a dialysis machine to help my kidneys. I was on a mix of broad spectrum and specific antibiotics through a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line and my heart was having significant issues due to low blood pressure. I was given vasopressor medication to raise the blood pressure to my vital organs. There was discussion during this time as to whether I would need to have multiple amputations to my arms and legs due to necrotising fasciitis. In the meantime, I also had compartment syndrome in my left leg that required surgery to reduce pressure and remove some sections of thigh. 

I woke up on a ward at Wexham Park in bandages from my waist down, still on IV antibiotics and delirious. It was so nice to see my family and to try to make sense of what had happened to me. The vascular and plastic surgeons were able to speak with me and explain what I had been through and the state of my legs and arms. They told me that my left leg would need to be amputated but the decision as to above or below the knee varied with different doctors. My right foot needed amputations too but this varied from all my toes to the entire foot. Happily, my arms had recovered to a level where no amputations were required. It was hard mentally taking all this in, but you must stay positive no matter how bad things seem. Every day my wife and family came to see me and I am forever grateful, as they gave me the strength to get through this shocking period. 

In June 2023 I had my left leg amputated below the knee as it was felt this would offer me the best outcome. I had all my toes amputated on my right foot a week later. I was still on antibiotics via a PICC line at this time as my CRP level was still elevated, but was under control.  

I had lost so much weight and muscle strength. The physio team at Wexham Park first worked on my strength before they could do anything else – mainly through exercise bands and stretching. I stayed in hospital, recovering on various wards, until September 2023. I had started attending the ‘Amp class‘ (amputee rehabilitation) sessions twice a week in the hospital. I had been given a wheelchair and initially learned how to transfer in and out of it and live with a wheelchair. I honestly thought I would be wheelchair-bound for the remainder of my life, but I was going to do everything I could to improve this. I then started the process of getting a prosthetic leg by learning to walk with a PPAM Aid (a pneumatic post-amputation mobility aid). I was discharged home in September 2023 and attended the Amp classes three times a week. I was totally bed and wheelchair bound, living in one downstairs room. 

After four weeks at home, I was readmitted to Wexham Park with an infection in my knee. I had some further necrosis on my kneecap that was removed and grafted but never quite healed. I then spent a further four weeks in hospital, solely on antibiotics via a PICC line. I was diagnosed with septic arthritis. After the four weeks I was cleared again to go home under the care of district nurses for my remaining wounds. I had been in hospital for five months and was so glad to be home. Though I was dealing with the physical after-effects of sepsis, the mental challenges were as debilitating: 

• Chronic fatigue 

• Insomnia 

• Not being able to concentrate 

• Phantom limb and joint pains  

Wexham Park Hospital believed I needed additional rehabilitation that they could not offer. They transferred me to the Douglas Bader Rehab Clinic at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton in October 2023. It is here that my rehab continues.  

I was still wheelchair-bound with wounds on my leg. After the initial consultation they said they could help me. The cross-disciplinary care they offered – from physical rehab to medical treatment – worked hand in hand. I was attending as an outpatient three times a week and met other people that had amputations – as a result of everything from sepsis through to trauma.  

After several weeks I was introduced to my prosthetist who started the process of making my first leg. I was also treated by the orthotic team to help find a shoe solution for a foot with no toes. The ability to speak to others who were on similar journeys really helped me, and I hope I helped them. It was here that I met Kim Smith who was learning to walk again; she was really inspiring. I also made connections with the charity Limb Power who helped me understand that my life had not stopped.  

I was discharged as an outpatient from Queen Mary’s in January 2024, with my first prosthetic leg by which time I could walk a short distance with two walking sticks. I was no longer bound to my wheelchair.  

I then had a six-week follow-up where I was slightly more able and could climb the stairs in my house for the first time since my sepsis – still using two walking sticks. I then had a six-month follow up and these will continue ongoing as I am a prosthetics outpatient for life now. By that stage I was down to using one walking stick – whilst I could still only walk a short distance my life had improved immeasurably. 

June 2024 was a landmark month for me, for two reasons: 

Firstly I was able to return to work for my employer Marex, part-time and remotely. My employer did not know if I would ever return but have made allowances that suit me. I am so grateful for how they have understood and supported me, so that I can still contribute positively. I hope that I can use my experience to educate the company and others on the dangers of sepsis. 

Secondly, I had my driving licence returned to me.   

I still have a lot of physical and mental challenges ahead of me. I set myself small realistic goals, whether it is increasing my hours at work, allowing for the fatigue, or being able to walk a few steps further than yesterday. I take the view that if you do not achieve your goal, don’t stress, just try again.  

My family have kept me strong during my treatment and recovery. I do feel for them as their lives have changed too, not just mine. Friends and colleagues have, in the main, been there for me throughout and give me so much strength.   

When I was initially diagnosed it appeared likely that I wouldn’t make it. The amazing ITU and nursing team at Wexham Park and Queen Mary’s saved my life. I have a new life now – one that I have got to understand and that I will grow into. I don’t want sepsis to take from me the things that I used to do. Limb Power has helped me to restart golf and I am getting support from my golf club. The prosthetics feel quite basic initially, but I hope they will improve along with my ability and needs.  

I am sharing my story with Sepsis Research FEAT mainly to raise awareness around sepsis and the challenges it raises – for your whole family. Talking about my journey also really helps me. 

My message to others? 

• Learn the symptoms of sepsis, and tell someone, it may save a life 

• Whatever adversities you face, I echo the instructions I used to give my youth football team: never, never give up. 

Charity comment: 

In this very thoughtful account Steve reflects with strength and positivity on the huge impact that sepsis has had on him and his family. 

There are three key messages that come across in Steve’s story.  

Firstly that he was previously a very fit and active man – not the stereotype of an older or frail person with whom people often associate sepsis. He could have slipped at the station and gone on to make a complete recovery. Sepsis really can affect anyone at any time. 

Steve’s sense of feeling like he was dying when he asked his wife to drive him to A&E is also really important. It is a commonly-expressed sensation for sepsis patients as they become critically ill. It was Steve’s instinct and his ability to express it which led him to seek the urgent medical attention that helped to save his life. 

And finally, like Kim Smith and others who have had the most horrifying brushes with death due to sepsis and gone on to experience life-changing consequences as a result, Steve is determined to build back his life, stronger and more resiliently than ever. You can read inspirational stories from Kim, Beth, William and others on the Sepsis Stories page of the charity’s website here.