A CAMPAIGN has been launched to make residents in Helensburgh more aware of the dangers of sepsis.

Diagnosing the deadly illness early is vital and there are no age or health barriers to catching it.

Sepsis arises when your body’s response to infection spirals out of control, making the body injure its own organs and tissues.

Six people die every day from sepsis in Scotland – one every four hours, more than prostate cancer and breast cancer combined.

If you have symptoms such as a very high or low temperature, uncontrolled shivering, confusion, cold or blotchy hands and feet, or not passing as much urine as normal, call NHS 24 on 111 immediately and ask, “Is this sepsis?”

Corinne Hutton is lucky to be alive, but not without consequences, as a result of contracting the condition.

Corinne went to her doctor after a bad cough for two weeks with an antibiotic. But the next morning, she was worse and there was a lot of blood when she was sick on her bedroom floor.

NHS24 sounded unconcerned but sent her to hospital where she collapsed and was diagnosed with acute pneumonia, flooded lungs and Streptococcal virus A in places it shouldn’t have been.

The mum had sepsis and she was being kept alive by Greater Glasgow and Clyde doctors for her young brother Scott to get home from Dubai. She had less than a five per cent chance of living.

She said: “Against their expectations, I survived the night, with my older brother, Davy, taking all the responsibility on his (thankfully broad) shoulders. He was communicating with nurses and doctors, trying to learn all the terminology and what each machine was doing”

Corinne was taken by air ambulance to Leicester while her family drove six hours to be there.

Thankfully she began to respond to treatment but her hands and feet had started to turn blue/black.

It took two weeks before she was brought back to consciousness back in Scotland.

She said: “My feet and hands were bandaged and bubble-wrapped for protection, but Davy insisted we check them every day and we knew they were getting worse.

"We watched as my fingers shrivelled up and went crooked, whilst the colour was now almost black. My feet were slightly better and we had great hopes for them improving, but it wasn’t the priority then.”

But despite progress, doctors then decided they’d have to amputate her legs and hands.

Corinne said: “He may have gone on to say more, but that’s all I heard. After some fighting back, we booked the amputations.

“I managed to survive sepsis, but lost both my hands and legs during the battle.”