Dad-of-three has arms and legs amputated after thinking he'd pulled a muscle

A father of three has undergone a quadruple amputation and suffered severe facial disfigurement due to sepsis.

John Snow, 48, from Dartford, Kent, tragically lost his limbs and is now facing reconstructive surgery for his face after falling victim to an aggressive Strep A infection just four months ago. The warehouse operative initially believed he had simply strained a muscle in his side and decided to rest from work in May.

His spouse, Karen, said: "He said he just felt like his body needed to relax." However, John's condition rapidly deteriorated, and by 5am two days later, he was waking Karen to urgently request an ambulance. Karen recalled the alarming symptoms: "He said he felt like he was having a heart attack. His lips and under his fingernails were blue."

They didn't realise these were classic indicators of the deadly condition that arises from an infection and the subsequent reaction of the immune system. While sepsis can stem from various types of infections, including viral, fungal, or parasitic, John was suffering from invasive Strep A.

After rushing him to the hospital, Karen learned that her husband had developed sepsis. By the next day, his kidneys had ceased functioning, necessitating dialysis, and as his body entered septic shock, doctors placed him into a medically induced coma.

Karen, who had been John's partner for 35 years, shared the harrowing experience: "They took me into a room and told me to prepare myself because putting him into this sleep was quite dangerous and his heart might just stop, but they needed to do it because his body would not keep still for them to treat him."

The following day was met with more grim news; John had contracted pneumonia and received a blood transfusion. Just four days after he was admitted to Dartford's Darent Valley Hospital, the family were heartbreakingly informed by doctors that there was nothing more they could do, and specialists from Londons St Thomass Hospital were summoned for their expertise.

During the transfer, Karen was cautioned once more of the risks: the potential of John dying or suffering a brain bleed were real. Upon arrival, she was dealt with the crushing blow that John's septic shock was ravaging his body. "Sepsis and Strep A take hold of your body very quickly. They strip you of any energy and eat away at your muscles and attack your vital organs."

John had to be put into a coma for two weeks, his body punctured with "tubes coming out of everywhere". But as he was eased out of the coma, the couple saw glimmers of hope, "a light at the end of the tunnel." After an arduous month in ICU, he progressed to a high-dependency unit where he began shakily walking and enhancing his upper body strength with physiotherapy guidance.

However, their hope faced a cruel set-back when doctors announced a new twist: John needed amputations to both his gangrenous feet and hands. Karen said: "They were mummified. They were rock hard and clenched. The doctors left it as long as possible but in the end they had no choice."

John tragically lost his arms from below the elbow and his legs from below the knee. Karen shared: "I've tried to be there for him all the time. You go through depression, anxiety and you grieve the loss of the limbs." John is currently at a rehab centre in London, adjusting to his prosthetic legs, but Karen said he's eager to return home.

She said: "I tell him how amazing he is, but he doesn't realise how ill he was. He is already kicking a ball and he's only had them two and a half weeks." According to Karen, the most challenging aspect for John has been the absence of his fingers. "He really misses his hands. He said you don't realise just how much you use your fingers. They are your tools."

John uses a wheelchair which he controls with his elbows, but Karen warns that leaning over could eventually cause neck and back problems. John is on a waiting list for hands from the NHS, but they won't be available for two years and Karen says the prosthetics only have three fingers.

The dad also requires reconstructive surgery on his face after sepsis damaged part of his nose, so Karen ensures John avoids seeing his reflection. "I know what he is like," she said. "I take him for outings away from the rehab centre but I make sure we don't go past any mirrors."

Nick Byram, a close friend of the family, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to collect donations to buy mechanical hands, which can reach prices up to £100,000, and to fund adjustments to their house in preparation for his return. Nick said: "We are trying to raise funds for our long-standing friend after he went into septic shock only two days after beginning to feel unwell, as a result of an invasive Strep A infection. The aim of our effort is to help meet John's initial expenses, and those of his wife and three children, as they try to get back on an even keel, whilst he begins a long road to recovery and rehabilitation."