EXCLUSIVE The amputations gave me more than they took away - quadruple amputee recounts sepsis battle that changed his life for the better on new Mail podcast
On the first episode of a new season of the Mail's Apple & The Tree podcast, quadruple amputee Alex Lewis told his mother Doreen about how losing his limbs to sepsis changed his life for the better.
The podcast, hosted by the Reverend Richard Coles, pits parents against their adult children to ask questions about their shared family history they have always wanted answered.
Alex Lewis, 44, confided in his mother Doreen Jarvis, 74, about the traumatic events that led to his limbs being amputated more than a decade ago.
Before contracting Strep A sepsis, Alex ran a pub in Winchester with his wife. He admitted that the constant exposure to drinking turned him into an alcoholic.
'It was November, and I was working in the pub – we had all these people with different lurgies coming in', Alex said.
'I caught a cold and didn't think much of it. But I couldn't shift it. A couple of days later, it became flu, and I remember not being able to get out of bed.
'I didn't even want to drink – that's how much of an effect it had. My body was just a mess. I woke up in the middle of the night, went to the loo, and found blood in my urine.
'The following day, I told my wife about it – and that's when everything unfolded and I was rushed to the hospital.'
After collapsing in his bedroom, Alex was taken to Salisbury Hospital where the full severity of his illness became clear.
'I remember waking up and being attached to all these machines. It was nuts – I couldn't see my legs or hands.
'The colour of my body began to change – I could see these huge purple patches start to develop everywhere.
'A doctor came into my room when nobody was there with me: she delivered the news. I remember her saying – you're going to lose your left arm, your feet, and your ankles. She said they would try and save my knees.'
In total, Alex lost four limbs to stem the blood infection. Although usually harmless, causing mild infections in the throat, Strep A bacteria can become life-threatening if it enters deeper muscle tissue and triggers sepsis.
'I was just black, my legs were black – my arms were black, my mouth was black. The doctors told me that if the infection got into my upper torso, I would have had it.'
After being released from the hospital, Alex remembered how the gruelling process of learning to write again and to walk with prosthetics changed his perspective on life.
His challenges also sparked a passion within him to pursue charity work, wanting to improve access to the walking aides he now relied upon.
'The recovery process gave me clarity', Alex said.
'For a start, it gave me nine months away from drinking. I started to see a path ahead of me that I was not on before.
'Here we are now, and I am plotting to row across the North Atlantic. We are going to travel across Africa in 2028 and then cross-country ski across Greenland.
'I got to a stage about four years ago, when I realised I probably didn't want my legs and arms back.
'My condition made me travel more and appreciate just how much we have here in the UK.
'I remember thinking – when I was in Ethiopia setting up a wheelchair factory – this has given me more than it has taken away.'
Mum Doreen told the podcast that Alex had become 'more responsible' since surviving the infection.
'I have never seen him be so enthusiastic about work', she said.
'Suddenly, I feel it's all coming together for him. He's still the same boy though, will always make you giggle.'
To listen to the full episode with Alex and Doreen, where they discuss his struggles with alcohol and his amazing charity work, search for The Apple & The Tree now – wherever you get your podcasts.
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