Manjit Sangha, a 56-year-old pharmacy assistant from Birmingham, England, never imagined that a routine moment of affection from her pet dog would trigger a catastrophic medical crisis that would forever alter the course of her life. In July 2025, what began as an ordinary weekend interaction with her canine companion culminated in a devastating diagnosis of severe sepsis, ultimately necessitating the amputation of both her hands and both legs below the knees.
The sequence of events unfolded with terrifying speed. On a Sunday evening following her work shift, Sangha began feeling unusually unwell. Attributing it to fatigue or a minor illness, she likely didn't recognize the early warning signs of a systemic infection taking hold. Within hours, her condition deteriorated dramatically. The following morning, her husband Kam made a horrifying discovery: Sangha was unconscious on their living room couch, her lips displaying a concerning blue discoloration and her hands and feet cold to the touch—classic signs of circulatory collapse.
Kam's immediate emergency call triggered a rapid response that likely saved his wife's life. Paramedics arrived promptly and transported Sangha to New Cross Hospital, where she was admitted directly to the intensive care unit. Medical staff quickly determined that her condition was critical, and they placed her in a medically induced coma to protect her brain and organs from further damage.
The speed of Sangha's decline left her family reeling. "Your mind is all over the place," Kam later shared with BBC reporters, struggling to process the timeline. "You're thinking, 'How can this happen in less than 24 hours?' One minute on a Saturday, she's playing with the dog, Sunday she's gone to work, Monday night she's in a coma."
Hospital physicians identified the culprit as severe sepsis, a life-threatening dysregulation of the body's immune response to infection. In Sangha's case, doctors traced the infection's origin to a small cut or scratch on her skin that had been licked by her dog. While pet saliva contains numerous bacteria that are typically harmless to humans, it can introduce pathogens into the bloodstream through broken skin.
The specific bacterium likely responsible, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, resides harmlessly in the mouths of many dogs and cats but can cause severe illness in humans when it enters the bloodstream. This organism produces toxins that can trigger overwhelming inflammatory responses, particularly in individuals with certain risk factors, though it can affect healthy people as well.
Sangha's battle for survival was nothing short of harrowing. While in the coma, she suffered six separate cardiac arrests, each time requiring resuscitation efforts that taxed her already failing body. Medical staff prepared her family for the worst, with daily conversations about end-of-life possibilities. "She's so strong," Kam told journalists, his voice reflecting both pride and trauma. "Every day was like, 'She's going to go today,' but she proved us wrong."
The sepsis progressed to its most dangerous complication: disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). This disorder represents a complete breakdown of the body's clotting mechanisms. Tiny blood clots form throughout the circulatory system, blocking blood flow to tissues and organs, while simultaneously consuming all available clotting factors. The result is a paradoxical state where patients suffer from both thrombosis and hemorrhage. In Sangha's case, the microclots cut off circulation to her extremities, causing irreversible tissue death in her hands and feet.
As her organs began to fail and her limbs turned necrotic, surgeons confronted an agonizing decision. The only way to stop the infection's spread and save Sangha's life was to amputate the dying tissue. They performed emergency surgery to remove both legs below the knee and both hands at the wrist level. The procedures, while life-saving, marked the beginning of an entirely new life chapter defined by loss, adaptation, and resilience.
The complications didn't end there. During her extended hospitalization, Sangha developed pneumonia and gallstones, requiring additional interventions including a splenectomy. Her 32-week hospital stay encompassed multiple surgeries, weeks on mechanical ventilation, and extensive treatment with powerful antibiotics and supportive care.
When Sangha finally stabilized enough to return home, she faced a reality that would challenge even the strongest spirit. The woman who had built her career in healthcare, who had embraced the simple joys of playing with her dog and managing her household, now required assistance for the most basic activities of daily living. Picking up a glass, preparing a meal, using a telephone—each task demanded new strategies and tools.
Recognizing the immense challenges ahead, Sangha's family launched a GoFundMe campaign to secure the resources necessary for her recovery and rehabilitation. The fundraising goals include advanced prosthetic technology, which could range from sophisticated myoelectric hands to microprocessor-controlled knee joints. These devices represent the cutting edge of rehabilitation medicine, offering users improved function and a greater sense of normalcy.
Beyond prosthetics, the funds will support comprehensive physical therapy to help Sangha build strength and learn new movement patterns. Mental health services are equally crucial, as adjusting to quadruple amputation involves processing grief, trauma, and identity changes. The campaign also aims to finance home modifications—wheelchair ramps, accessible bathrooms, adapted kitchen facilities—to create an environment where Sangha can maintain independence.
Medical professionals who have followed Sangha's case emphasize that while extreme, her experience illuminates critical public health concerns. Sepsis affects approximately 49 million people globally each year and causes 11 million deaths, according to World Health Organization estimates. Many survivors face long-term consequences including amputations, organ dysfunction, and psychological trauma.
The transmission of zoonotic infections from pets, though statistically rare, serves as an important reminder about animal-human interactions. Capnocytophaga canimorsus infections occur most frequently in people with compromised immune systems, chronic alcohol use disorder, or those who have had their spleens removed. However, as Sangha's case demonstrates, even individuals without obvious risk factors can develop severe disease.
Veterinary and medical experts recommend several precautions: thoroughly wash hands after pet contact, prevent pets from licking open wounds or areas near eyes and mouth, clean any bites or scratches immediately with soap and water, and monitor for infection signs such as redness, swelling, or fever. While these measures cannot eliminate all risk, they significantly reduce the likelihood of bacterial transmission.
Sangha's husband's warning—"It could happen to anybody"—resonates with particular urgency because it challenges the common perception that such medical catastrophes only befall those with underlying health issues. Her story underscores the importance of recognizing sepsis symptoms early: fever or feeling very cold, rapid heart rate, confusion or disorientation, extreme pain, and shortness of breath. Rapid treatment with antibiotics and fluids dramatically improves survival rates.
As Sangha continues her rehabilitation journey, her determination remains evident to all who know her. Surviving six cardiac arrests and multiple organ failure demonstrates extraordinary physiological resilience. Now, she must apply that same strength to the painstaking process of relearning how to navigate the world. Each small victory in therapy—successfully grasping an object with a prosthetic hand, taking steps with new legs—represents a triumph over circumstances that nearly ended her life.
The community response to her GoFundMe campaign reflects widespread empathy and support. Donors recognize that while medical insurance may cover initial hospitalization, the long-term costs of living with quadruple amputation can be overwhelming. Advanced prosthetics alone can cost tens of thousands of dollars per limb and require regular replacement and maintenance.
Sangha's case also highlights broader issues in healthcare and disability support. The gap between what medical insurance provides and what survivors need for true quality of life often necessitates community fundraising. Her story has drawn attention to the importance of comprehensive post-acute care and the financial burdens faced by families dealing with catastrophic medical events.
Looking forward, Sangha faces years of ongoing therapy, prosthetic adjustments, and psychological adaptation. The technology she hopes to access—potentially including robotic prosthetic hands with individual digit control—could restore remarkable function. These devices use sensors to detect muscle signals in residual limbs, allowing users to perform complex tasks that were once impossible with older prosthetic designs.
Her experience serves multiple purposes: a cautionary tale about pet interactions, a sepsis awareness message, and a testament to human resilience. For healthcare workers, it reinforces the importance of screening for rare but devastating infections. For pet owners, it provides balanced perspective—recognizing that while such events are extremely uncommon, basic hygiene precautions are worthwhile. For the general public, it demonstrates how quickly health can change and why supporting medical research and emergency care systems matters.
Sangha's journey from a routine workday to the brink of death, and now toward a reconstructed life, encapsulates both medical marvel and human tragedy. Her survival against overwhelming odds speaks to advances in critical care medicine, while her ongoing challenges highlight the long shadow cast by severe sepsis. As she works with therapists and adapts to her prosthetics, she carries with her the support of a community moved by her story and the hope that her experience might prevent others from facing similar devastation.
The fundraising efforts continue as Sangha and her family navigate the complex landscape of life after quadruple amputation. Each contribution brings her closer to independence, mobility, and the possibility of reclaiming aspects of the life she once knew. Her story remains a powerful reminder that in the intersection of everyday life and medical emergency, awareness, rapid response, and community support can make the difference between tragedy and triumph.