Bedford Hospital: Caroline Coster returns with therapy pet

Caroline Coster says returning with Duke has been an "amazing gift" for her

A woman whose hands and feet were amputated after she developed sepsis is trying to give back to staff by bringing in her dog as a therapy pet.

Caroline Coster, 60, from Bedford, was being treated for Covid in 2020 when she developed sepsis.

Mrs Coster, a mother-of-two,ended up needing a quadruple amputation while she was at Bedford Hospital.

She said being able to bring her dog in to help staff had made her feel useful again.

Mrs Coster, a teacher, nearly died on two occasions while she was in an induced coma at the hospital.

Her dog Duke is currently in training as a therapy dog and will be making weekly visits.

• The biggest killer you may not know

Sepsis is caused by the immune system going into over-drive. Instead of just fighting an infection, it starts attacking other parts of the body too.

Bacteria and viruses that cause diarrhoeal infections or lung diseases are the leading triggers of sepsis.

Cathy O'Brien who helped treat Mrs Coster said "it's wonderful" to see her doing well

Mrs Coster said: "It's been very emotional seeing some of the staff who looked after me for the first sine since I came out of hospital, because I'm so grateful to them.

"They did so much for me in such a difficult time."

She told how returning to the hospital to help felt like she had "come full circle" adding: "To come back here and feel useful it's an amazing gift for me.

"It's supposed to be me giving back to the hospital but I think it's giving me as much if not more," she said.

Cathy O'Brien was one of the specialist nurses who helped treat Mrs Coster and said it was "amazing" to see her back.

Ms O'Brien said it was "wonderful" to see Mrs Coster.

Anaesthesia and critical care consultant Sarah Snape, who also helped treat Mrs Coster, said having Duke as a therapy pet was "completely new" for the hospital and said it would help critical care staff.