Worcester woman to raise sepsis awareness in steps challenge

It left Molly Watton having to learn to walk, talk and drive again

A woman who said she had to learn how to walk and talk again after developing sepsis is taking on a steps challenge for charity.

Molly Watton, 26, from Worcester, contracted it in October 2020 and said she now had had to push herself to do "normal things".

She will do 10,000 steps a day in June to raise money for The UK Sepsis Trust and awareness about the condition.

Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a serious complication of an infection.

Symptoms include slurred speech, extreme shivering or muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness and mottled or discoloured skin.

Explaining why she thought awareness needed to be raised, Ms Watton said: "Because a lot of people don't know what sepsis is or haven't even heard of it before.

"Any age, anyone can get it and... sepsis can come from anything."

Ms Watton has done plenty of art, including this drawing before she got sepsis

She said she developed back pain after going out for a few drinks. Thinking it was nothing serious she went home but "couldn't keep anything down", so her mother phoned 111.

"Once I was admitted I... spent a week in Worcester hospital and then they did an [ultrasound] scan... on my kidneys and found I had a kidney stone which was 1.3cm, so it was really big.

"They did [an] MRA scan, which is like an MRI scan, but they put dye in my blood vessels to have a look and that's how they found out I had sepsis."

Ms Watton, who then spent three months in hospital, said because of the brain swelling, she had to learn how to walk and talk again.

"I've had to push myself to do normal things, like having to relearn to do all the little things that a lot of people take for granted."

She practised writing again

She said she felt "upset and frustrated" at having to relearn things and also struggled with her memory.

"You can see I've got a little memory board to write things down, cos the other week I thought I had work at five, but instead I had work at one.

"I've still got the same goals and stuff, but i just know it will take me a bit longer to achieve them."