Meet Bionic Teacher Kath

To save her life from a sever sepsis infection, Kath had to undergo quadruple amputations on all her limbs. Here is how Kath embarked on her bionic journey on a road to recovery.

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I'm Kath a primary school teacher from London

Back in November 2019, I’d never heard of Sepsis. I came home from the school I worked at one Friday feeling a little unwell and thinking it was a common flu, I brushed it off and spent the weekend resting. Then by Sunday afternoon, something prompted me to call NHS 111 and seek advice. I believe that the call handler saved my life by sending out an ambulance to my house and that’s all I really remember from that weekend.

 

Even after a quadruple amputation I had this dream of going back to teaching

In hospital, I later found out that my body had gone into severe septic shock and that night, I had suffered multiple organ failure. By January, I started to get some memories and I remember waking up and noticed that my feet and arms were black and I was told I would have to have quadruple amputations.

 

 

When I got to grips with the first Hero Arm, it became part of me. I relied on it so much, I had to get a second one.

The road to recovery was long but I celebrated the small wins

I was first fitted with prosthetic hooks, but I knew I couldn’t go back to teaching with heavy hooks and a wheelchair. My friends and family found out about Open Bionics and when I got to grips with the first Hero Arm, it became part of me. I relied on it so much, I had to get a second one. I am now back in the classroom on a part-time basis and children love my Hero Arms.

I am able to write on the board, carry books, and teach with my Hero Arms which is a dream come true.

Do I qualify for a Hero Arm?

I wear my Hero Arms around school all day

I decided I wanted to go back to school and see the kids I taught because what happened was obviously a shock to the whole community. I  just disappeared one Friday and at the time, my employers didn’t really know what to tell the children, particularly when there was a high chance I wouldn’t survive so it was a distressing time for everybody.