A Birmingham woman’s life was changed forever when a dog’s lick on a small cut led to a life-threatening sepsis infection. The 56-year-old endured multiple cardiac arrests and quadruple limb amputations.
An Indian‑origin woman from Birmingham, England, survived a life‑threatening bout of sepsis that doctors believe began after her pet dog licked a small cut, leading to multiple cardiac arrests and quadruple amputation.In July 2025, 56‑year‑old Manjit Sangha returned home from work feeling unwell. By the next day, her 60-year-old husband Kam Sangha found her unconscious on the couch. Her lips were blue and her hands and feet felt ice cold. An ambulance was called immediately.Kam told the BBC: “Your mind is all over the place. 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.”Manjit was taken to the intensive care unit at New Cross Hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. While in hospital, her condition was so severe that she went into cardiac arrest six times, and doctors were unsure if she would survive.Doctors later diagnosed her with sepsis, a serious infection where the body harms its own organs. They believe it may have started when bacteria entered a small cut or scratch, possibly after her dog licked it. As her condition worsened, Manjit developed a rare complication of sepsis called disseminated intravascular coagulation, which causes abnormal blood clotting throughout the body. To save her life, surgeons had to amputate both her legs below the knee and both her hands. She also had her spleen removed after developing pneumonia and gallstones.Manjit spent more than 7 months in hospital and gradually began to recover. She is now back at home, where her family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of advanced prosthetics, physical therapy, mental health support and home adaptations to make her living space more accessible.“Understandably, Manjit is devastated. She is mourning the life she had before—where simple tasks like picking up a glass of water were effortless,” her family wrote. They added: “We are committed to helping Manjit rebuild her life.”Manjit has expressed her determination to regain her independence and return to work with prosthetics. “I want to get walking,” she said. She added: “I want to get my prosthetics to go back to work. I’ve sat down in my chair and my bed enough. It’s time to walk now.”She hopes that by sharing her story, others will heed her warning about the seriousness of sepsis. “It could happen to anybody,” she said.
