On Friday 10th January 2020, three-year-old William from Nottinghamshire fell ill after nursery. Having initially shown flu-like symptoms, his condition worsened over the weekend, as he developed a rash and a persistent cough.
By Monday 13th January, the family GP told William’s parents Gemma and Mike that they suspected that William had a virus. Still concerned, however, the family sought further help at Kings Mill Hospital where doctors in A&E diagnosed William as having sepsis.
William was quickly placed in an induced coma and transferred to Queens Medical Centre Nottingham. At one point his heart stopped before he was revived. As William fought for his life, sepsis caused severe damage to his body, eventually leading to the agonising decision on 2nd March to amputate Williams legs and nine of his fingers. “As devastating as it was, it marked the start of William’s recovery,” says mum Gemma.
Astonishingly, on 16th March 2020 – less than two weeks later – William was discharged home. By September of that year he started school as planned, demonstrating yet again the extraordinary resilience and determination that have come to be such an intrinsic part of William’s character.
Gemma and Mike initially very kindly shared William’s story with this charity in October 2021, with a keen desire to prevent other families going through the same agony and heartbreaking worry that they had experienced. They continue to urge awareness of sepsis and its symptoms and have provided invaluable support to Sepsis Research FEAT for a number of its awareness campaigns and activities.
Five years on, and having overcome challenges that many adults would have baulked at, William goes from strength to strength. His mum Gemma has very kindly shared an update to William’s extraordinary story here.
Looking back over the last five years, it feels surreal. At points we all felt like we were living in a nightmare. But we have tried to focus on how lucky we are. We get to make new amazing memories as a family and that nearly wasn’t the case. Yes, life has its ups and downs – there are so many challenges and frustrations that I wish William didn’t have to endure. But he’s still here, he’s the happiest little boy who loves his life and we couldn’t ask for more.
William still has weekly physiotherapy to help with his posture and to build the strength he needs to mobilise independently on his prosthetics. He’s had some further surgery on his hand and is waiting for more surgery on his leg. Unfortunately sepsis is the gift that keeps on giving – it has caused underlying damage which continues to come to light. William takes it all in his stride, however, and continues to overcome every obstacle thrown at him.
He doesn’t remember much about being in hospital and doesn’t remember life before his injuries. Although he is getting to an age where he’s becoming more self-aware, thankfully he doesn’t dwell on his differences. He knows that some things are trickier for him but he also knows that he can achieve whatever he sets his mind to.
One of the biggest challenges William has is the difficulties with prosthetics. Every time he is really making progress and becoming confident he grows and the sockets stop fitting. He then has to wait to be re-cast and for new sockets to be made, during which time he can use his legs less and less. Once he gets new sockets he then has to work so hard to build his strength and confidence back up. It’s a constant cycle.
For me, his biggest achievements since having sepsis and losing his limbs are the everyday challenges he’s overcome. Like learning to walk again. And then again when he had to have his knee amputated. Mastering multiple different types of prosthetics and the difficulties that come with sockets and growing so fast. How he always finds a way to do what initially seems impossible for him. Learning to swim like a little fish! And that he’s done it all with such a positive attitude.
For William, without a doubt he would feel that his biggest achievement was his fundraising challenge last year. He walked two miles and cycled a further two more to mark four years since his amputations, raising thousands of pounds in the process for the hospital that saved his life.
He was nominated and won JustGiving’s ‘Young Fundraiser of the year 2024’. Seeing him up on stage, giving a speech in front of hundreds of people, was certainly one of the proudest moments of my life.
As he gets older and more self-aware, William will have to come to terms with his differences and his disability, but we are already making sure he has as much support and as many positive role models in place as possible to help with that.
Inaccessibility out and about will undoubtedly be a barrier for him. Challenges for William are just that though – something to overcome. I’ve no doubt he will continue to do so.
William’s number one supporter is of course his little sister Georgia. She can make him laugh when nobody else can. Sibling rivalry spurs him on to be the best he can be and I can’t imagine how much harder his recovery would have been without her.
We have an incredible support network that has carried me and Mike through some very dark times. Friends, family and particularly grandparents have been incredible.
I also have to say how wonderful William’s school are. They have been amazing from day one and they make adaptations to ensure William can participate fully in everyday school life whilst also allowing him to be a normal eight-year-old boy.
William loves playing on his Xbox and spending time with his family and friends. He loves trying new things and has even recently been ice skating – a real challenge on prosthetics but he smashed it!
And right now William is looking forward to the better weather and holidays! He loves to be outdoors and to be active so we are ready for summer. We are going to Disneyland Paris this year and he is very excited for that.
In terms of raising awareness of sepsis, the fundraising that William did last year was as much about that as it was raising funds. We got to appear on ‘This Morning’ which was incredible, as well as telling his story at the JustGiving awards and to various media outlets. Hopefully hearing William’s story will stick in people’s minds and encourage them to learn more about sepsis.
It is so important because knowledge of sepsis can make the difference between life and death. Between a quick recovery or life-changing injuries. As much as everyone tells me I did everything right, I will always carry the guilt of not preventing William’s injuries. Of not doing more to get the right medical treatment sooner. If I had had the knowledge of sepsis that I do now, my actions would have been different, meaning his outcome might have been different. I don’t want another parent ever to have to feel that way. I don’t want anyone to go through what William has, when it could and should have been prevented.
I think Sepsis Research FEAT are incredible. Not only in raising awareness but funding research, which I have no doubt will eventually change the diagnosis, treatment and outcomes from sepsis forever. If sepsis can be identified quicker, the chances for the patient are so much better. There are far too many missed opportunities, medical professionals not recognising the signs early enough. If this can be changed then thousands of deaths and life-changing outcomes will be prevented.
Charity Comment
Sepsis Research FEAT could not be more grateful to Gemma, Mike, William and Georgia for their support for this charity’s work.
William’s journey over the past five years has been deeply challenging but also completely inspiring. Despite ongoing surgeries, physiotherapy, and struggles with prosthetics, William remains determined and positive. His spirit is testament to the extraordinary love and support that he has received from his parents, sister and wider family.
Despite her own doubts, it is clear that Gemma trusted her instincts as a parent in getting William seen in A&E after an initial GP consultation – a decision that almost certainly saved her son’s life. Sepsis is a time-sensitive and deeply complex condition. This charity would always encourage parents of small chaildren and adult patients and their families to do as Gemma did and to seek a second opinion if they are in any doubt, or are concerned about a rapidly deteriorating situation.
Better awareness of sepsis and the funding of research will – as Gemma says – provide the best chance of early diagnosis and specific and appropriate treatments to prevent deaths from sepsis and life-changing injuries like William’s in future.
The team at Sepsis Research FEAT was beyond delighted to see William win JustGiving’s Young Fundraiser of the Year 2024. We continue to watch William’s awe-inspiring progress as he embraces life and seizes every opportunity and we send our very best wishes to William and his family and friends.