A sporty medical student had both her arms and legs amputated after suffering a suspected bout of the flu – with her life being saved by her quick-thinking housemates who realised her symptoms were in fact a deadly sepsis infection.
Lily McGarry, 23, a third-year medic at Cardiff University, was rushed to A&E with flu-like symptoms in January by her student doctor friends.
The keen athlete from Jersey, who had run 10km just the day before, quickly deteriorated within an hour of arriving at the hospital. She suffered two cardiac arrests and was placed in a medically-induced coma.
Doctors at University Hospital Wales diagnosed Lily with meningococcal septicaemia - a rare and aggressive bacterial infection that can cause rapid organ failure and death if not treated immediately.
Lily's mother Jo Gorrod, who was away in Australia when her daughter fell ill, said she didn't think her daughter would have survived without her housemates.
She said one of them also noticed a rash on Lily's hand – a key sign of meningitis – when they were sitting in A&E.
Jo told MailOnline: 'Lily was incredibly fortunate her two housemates were both also medical students. They were just so aware, kept on top of everything and took her to A&E.
'If they hadn't got there in the time they did then Lily really wouldn't be here today. We were very lucky.
Lily McGarry, 23, a third-year medic at Cardiff University, was rushed to A&E with flu-like symptoms in January by her student doctor friends. Lily's mother Jo Gorrod, who was away in Australia when her dau...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]