A Fife woman who lost her limbs to sepsis has had the story of her inspirational fight for survival published in a book.
Marguerite Henderson, 57, has shared her experiences in Sepsis: Raw and Real and hopes it will help others facing life changing illness and injury.
“There are a lot of people out there who are going through horrible things, and you can’t afford to give up, you have to find a way through it,” said Marguerite, of Crosshill.
“It’s not the life I would choose, or what I would want anybody else to go through, but I’m making the most of it because the other option is not even in the equation – to lie down and let it engulf me.
“I’ve got a family and grandchildren I would never have seen if I hadn’t made it.”
The former council family support worker, who lives in Crosshill, saw her world change forever after she suffered a paper cut in 2018. The tiny wound led to blood poisoning, which nearly claimed her life. She survived but had her hands and legs amputated.
Marguerite bravely spoke about her ordeal during a seminar at the start of last year and realised her story was worth telling more widely.
She said: “It was actually quite good to write it down on paper. That’s where the idea came from. A lot of people at the seminar were really interested in what happened to me.”
Having typed with her remaining thumb in 20-minute stints at her laptop, Marguerite has now had Sepsis: Raw and Real published. It is available at some local shops and from Amazon.
“It’s kind of surreal because it’s something I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d even do,” she said.
“Writing the book has highlighted how far I have come from the early days and how much more I can do from even six months ago.
“I’m really pleased with the book and really pleased with the feedback I’ve been getting. People are saying when they read it they can’t put it down.
“So many people die each year of sepsis and so many people like myself are living with the aftermath of having it. It’s getting the message across of how dangerous sepsis is and how life changing it can be.”
The grandmother of two said she was looking to the future, adding that she was anticipating the arrival of a new grandson in a few weeks’ time.
“If I hadn’t survived I would never have seen my grandson. There was a reason why I survived.”
