Student, 21, battles sepsis after she caught an infection when she stepped on a sea urchin during a family holiday to Barbados
- Phoebe Robertson’s left foot ballooned after standing on creature last October
- Prescribed antibiotics but infection entered blood and caused deadly sepsis
- Came close to losing her left leg and had to relearn how to walk after the ordeal
A university student nearly lost her leg to sepsis after contracting a nasty infection from standing on a sea urchin.
Phoebe Robertson, 21, noticed her left foot ballooned after brushing against the flower-like creature while swimming on a family holiday in Barbados last October.
She was prescribed antibiotics at a hospital on the Caribbean island and returned to the UK a week later.
But the modern languages student’s condition quickly deteriorated when the infection in her calf invaded her bloodstream, causing deadly sepsis.
She was rushed to hospital by her flatmates where doctors performed four operations in seven days to remove the infected skin.
Ms Robertson, from Canterbury, Kent, had to relearn how to walk and was told she was lucky not to have lost her leg.
Phoebe from Canterbury, Kent, nearly lost her leg to sepsis after contracting a nasty infection from standing on a sea urchin on holiday in Barbados
She noticed her left foot had started to swell up after she stepped on a sea urchin while on a holiday in Barbados in October 2018
Recalling her ordeal, Ms Robertson said: ‘I was on the beach one day and stepped on a sea urchin. I didn’t think anything of it really.
‘Two days later I noticed my feet were starting to swell up. It got to the point where I couldn’t even walk.
‘I went to a doctor who gave me some alcohol wipes and antibiotics. My feet got better within five days and then I flew home.
‘When you’re young, you feel invincible. So I didn’t think there was anything wrong and that something like this couldn’t happen.
‘But my experience just goes to show that anyone can get sepsis. It could happen to anyone.
‘One of the nurses described me as the “unluckiest miracle”. I’m unlucky because I stood on that sea urchin and for what followed, but I’m so lucky that I’m still here.’
Ms Robertson revealed that when returned from Barbados, the swelling in her leg had went down substantially.
But within a week her condition began to deteriorate. She added: ‘I went back to uni and my parents were coming down the following weekend which was the weekend of Remembrance Sunday.
‘I woke up that day and really struggled to function. I couldn’t work out what was happening and I remember feeling quite sweaty.
‘I was supposed to go to the rugby with them but I had to go home and spent the whole day throwing up.
‘On the Sunday morning I got up and noticed there was something wrong with my leg. I just thought it was really bad cramp.
‘I slept through the rest of the day, and that night, my leg just went solid. It was incredibly painful, I’ve never known anything like it.
‘Eventually I screamed at my housemates that something was wrong and they drove me straight to A&E and carried me in.’
Despite a nurse saying Ms Robertson probably had severe flu and should go home, the student insisted that she did not feel right and was given a blood test.
It was then that doctors realised that Phoebe had contracted a streptococcus A infection in her left calf.
The harmful bacteria had invaded her bloodstream, causing sepsis.
Doctors even told Phoebe there was a high chance they would have to amputate her left leg to hault the spread of the infection.
But after four operations and a cycle of antibiotics she fought off the deadly condition.
She spent around a month in hospital and had countless physio sessions to relearn how to walk again. She has been left with lifelong scars.
Ms Robertson managed to complete the second year of her modern languages degree and even wrote some of her essays while recovering.
She added: ‘It was really difficult, I couldn’t do anything for myself. I had to relearn how to walk again and use my left leg.
‘It was tough because I’ve always been quite active and suddenly I couldn’t do anything for myself. If I wanted to shower, I had to ask my parents to help me.
‘The doctors and nurses were fantastic and the care I received from the NHS was amazing.
‘It was easy to get depressed and give up. I thought I should just drop out of university but I wanted to carry on.
‘I still can’t feel my left leg even now. I’m pretty fit but it can affect daily life.
‘I also have scars on my left leg. In comparison to other people’s scars they’re not that bad but people do stare at it.’
Phoebe added: ‘It’s changed my view of the world. Life is short and you need to treasure every moment.
‘It brought my family even closer together. I appreciate the small things so much more, life is really short so you need to enjoy it.’
A year on from her ordeal, she is raising awareness about sepsis as she prepares to run the Madrid Half-Marathon in March 2020 on behalf of the UK Sepsis Trust.
The student is raising money on GoFundMe for the UK Sepsis Trust by running the Madrid Half Marathon in March 2020.
You can donate to her appeal here
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