Essex amputee mum Tracy Ralph thought she had a cold

A mother of two who had her legs and fingers amputated after getting blood poisoning last Christmas has been recalling how she thought it was just a cold at first.

Tracy Ralph, 35, was admitted to Southend General Hospital on 24 December and put in an induced coma, but it wasn't until Christmas Day that she was diagnosed with septicaemia.

After a year of getting used to prosthetic legs, she wants to set up a charity to help other amputees and raise awareness of the infection.

She said: "Everybody just mistakes it as a common cold... I don't think there's enough awareness out there of how awful septic shock can be."