Craig Mackinlay: Tory MP reveals feet and hands were amputated after contracting sepsis

Sky News

Updated May 22, 2024 at 6:02 a.m.·1 min read

Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay has revealed he has had both his hands and feet amputated after contracting sepsis last year.

The MP for South Thanet is due to return to parliament on Wednesday, eight months after he was rushed to hospital.

He told his constituents in December he was diagnosed with sepsis in September 2023 and placed into an induced coma with multiple organ failures.

Mr Mackinlay added he was "extremely lucky to be alive" and had had some "extreme surgery" as a result of the illness.

Now on the eve of his Commons comeback, he told the BBC he wanted to be the first "bionic MP", having been fitted with prosthetic hands and legs.

He described waking up from his coma and seeing his legs had "turned black", telling the broadcaster: "I haven't got a medical degree but I know what dead things look like.

"I was surprisingly stoic about it... I don't know why I was. It might have been the various cocktail of drugs I was on."

All the amputations took place on 1 December and Mr Mackinlay said a "sombre" Christmas followed.

But he said his four-year-old daughter Olivia "adapted to it very easily... probably better than anybody else frankly, I think children are just so remarkably adjustable".

Now he has his sights set back on Westminster, where after attending Prime Minister's Questions, the MP will meet Rishi Sunak before getting back to the day job.

And he is determined to fight the next election to continue to serve his Kent constituency.

"When children come to parliament's fantastic education centre, I want them to be pulling their parents' jacket or skirts or their teacher and saying: 'I want to see the bionic MP today'."

BuzzFeed
Cancer Survivors Are Sharing The Weird Symptom That Made Them Go "Hm, Something Isn't Right Here," And Now I Am Terrified I Have Cancer
"If they tell you it might be cancer and have you come back in a couple of weeks for a biopsy, say no and have them schedule it sooner. My tumor hardened and doubled in size in a couple of weeks."
The Canadian Press
Cancer patients often do better with less intensive treatment, new research finds
Scaling back treatment for three kinds of cancer can make life easier for patients without compromising outcomes, doctors reported at the world’s largest cancer conference.
CBC
Partnership between CARP, Big Tobacco leaves senior fuming
A B.C. senior was surprised to find Canada’s largest advocacy association for older adults, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP), has teamed up with the world's biggest tobacco companies to convene a focus group about alternatives to cigarette smoking.
CNN
Singer Taylor Momsen bit by a bat while performing on stage
Musician and actor Taylor Momsen is seemingly taking everything in stride after being bit by a bat while on stage in Spain last week.
Canadian Press Videos
Israel maintains a shadowy hospital in the desert for Gaza detainees - AP explains
Patients lying shackled and blindfolded on more than a dozen beds inside a white tent in the desert. Surgeries performed without adequate painkillers. Doctors who remain anonymous. These are some of the conditions at Israel's only hospital dedicated to treating Palestinians detained by the military in the Gaza Strip, three people who have worked there told The Associated Press, confirming similar accounts from human rights groups. Eight months into the Israel-Hamas war, accusations of inhumane treatment at the Sde Teiman military field hospital are on the rise, and the Israeli government is under growing pressure to shut it down. The military denies the allegations of inhumane treatment and says all detainees needing medical attention receive it.
CBC
How Jeremy Skibicki's 'unusual' defence compares to other serial killer cases
WARNING: This story contains distressing details. Admitted Winnipeg serial killer Jeremy Skibicki's plan to argue he's not criminally responsible in the deaths of four women due to a mental disorder strikes several experts as "unusual" — including the forensic psychiatrist who assessed some of Canada's most notorious killers. Dr. John Bradford has evaluated murderers including Paul Bernardo, Robert Pickton and Russell Williams, all of whom were convicted in serial sexually motivated killings. Be
CBC
From student to author to hospital volunteer, this N.S. teen is making waves from China
One could say the life of Ahnaleigh Simmonds is coming full circle.The 15-year-old African Nova Scotian was born with a life-threatening condition that has since pushed her to study medicine to one day help kids like her.Simmonds, who is originally from Dartmouth but now lives with her family in China, was born premature at the IWK Health Centre with gastroschisis, in which some of her gastrointestinal organs had grown outside of her body.She spent the first year of her life in hospital undergoi
Snopes
Fact Check: Posts Say Study Found People Who Add Salt to Food Were More Likely to Develop Stomach Cancer. Here Are the Facts
Research also suggests stomach cancer is affecting an increasing number of young people, particularly women.
USA TODAY
Are peaches good for you? Nutrition experts break down healthy fruit options.
We're rapidly approaching peach season. Here's what nutrition experts want you to know about the fruit.
The Canadian Press
Is intermittent fasting better than counting calories? Maybe not, but you might stick with it
As weight-loss plans go, it’s easy to see the allure of intermittent fasting: Eat what you want, but only during certain windows of time — often just eight hours a day.
People
Baby Who Was Saved by Kansas State Trooper at 18 Days Old Undergoes Successful Heart Surgery a Week Later
Baby Brexley stopped breathing when her family was on the way to church on May 12
BuzzFeed
"It’s What I Call The Allergic Salute”: Doctors Are Sharing Subtle Signs That Someone Might Have Allergies
Pay attention to these sneaky symptoms.
Business Insider
Eli Lilly's Wegovy rival Zepbound will help make weight-loss drug market worth $130 billion by 2030, Goldman Sachs says
The anti-obesity drug market will be worth $130 billion by 2030, Goldman Sachs analysts said in a research note.
Global News
Talking brain injury awareness with Dr. Matthew Galati
After being in a life-changing car crash, Dr. Matthew Galati was told he would never graduate from medical school - but he overcame his prognosis. Now, he advocates for brain health.
The Canadian Press
Being a patient is getting harder in a strained and complex US health care system
Tamika Davis couldn’t nap on her couch during cancer treatment. She kept worrying one of her toddlers would wander over and pull out the needle delivering chemotherapy.
BANG Showbiz
'It gave me a swift kick in the butt': Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York vows to 'start living' after cancer battle
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, received a "swift kick in the butt" when she was diagnosed with two forms of cancer and has vowed to live life to the full as a result.
The Canadian Press
A growing community of breast milk donors in Uganda gives mothers hope
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Early last year, Caroline Ikendi was in distress after undergoing an emergency Caesarean section to remove a stillborn baby and save two others. Doctors said one of the preterm babies had a 2% chance of living.
Sky News
Electric spoon that makes food taste saltier goes on sale in Japan
A battery-operated spoon that makes food taste saltier has gone on sale in Japan. The spoon, which is made of plastic and metal, is aimed at people struggling to reduce their salt intake, as researchers claim it promotes healthier eating. In Japan, adults consume on average around 10g of salt a day, double the World Health Organisation's recommended intake.
CNN
Honduras declares health emergency as Central America starts peak dengue season
Honduras has declared a national health emergency after reporting a rise in hospitalizations and deaths from dengue, the health ministry announced on Friday.
Snopes
Fact Check: Online Videos Claim 'Sit to Stand' Test Predicts Longevity. Here's What Experts Say
You lose a point each time you have to brace yourself with hands, arms, knees or sides of your legs to stand up, according to the test's rules.

Latest Stories