Farmer Marshall Wylie nearly died from sepsis after a minor arm cut in August 2023. He experienced a near-death experience, recalling a bright light and his mother's voice.
Key points
Marshall Wylie cut his arm while sorting wood
He felt ill for 48 hours before his sepsis diagnosis
He clinically died due to sepsis
He experienced a near-death vision of a bright light and his mother
Mentioned in this story
Marshall Wylie
Farmer Marshall Wylie thought nothing of it when he cut his arm, sorting wood in August 2023.
And he thought even less of it when he felt ill over the next 48 hours.
But the following week, he said he clinically died due to sepsis.
He can remember a bright light and his mother telling him he was "going to be okay" and well as seeing his old dogs.
Warning: This article contains some graphic images of hands and feet with sepsis.
The doctor branded the County Tyrone man a "complete and utter miracle".
Marshall told BBC NI he had "never, ever heard of sepsis", but it left him with a choice: keeping his legs, or his life.
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He said the doctor told him he was a miracle.
By then, sepsis had left his skin mottled and peeling as if it had been "burned from the inside".
Parts of his fingers on both hands had turned black.
His ears and his lips had blackened too, but his lower legs shocked him.
It was a "traumatic" time.
"When I looked at my legs, my legs were black. You'd have thought they were barbecued."
"The disease was coming on up into my system, and if it had gone up any further, they would have had to take above the knee, but the surgeons were great.
"We had a long road of recovery, but at the same time, we had a lot of prayers being said."
More than 30,000 people around the world joined a page online, offering prayers for Marshall.
Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to infection anywhere in the body.
Instead of fighting the bacteria or virus that is making you ill, the immune system turns on itself, damaging internal organs and potentially causing death.
Early medical intervention is vital.
Dr Ron Daniels, who heads up the charity Sepsis UK, said it was a "huge problem" that should not be underplayed.
"Across the UK, sepsis is estimated to affect 245,000 people every year, which is more people than suffer heart attacks in a year.
"Of those 245,000, about 48,000 people die."
Sepsis can affect people of any age and symptoms can be similar to flu or a chest infection.
That can make it difficult for even the most experienced health professional to spot.
Marshall spent more than nine months in several hospitals and was eventually fitted with prosthetic limbs.
Within three weeks, he was up and walking, in defiance of medical predictions.
But not all his scars are visible.
When he thinks of what his wife and son went through, the tears are never far away.
"I remember Aaron one day broke down in front of me, and I said: 'What's wrong, son?' He says, 'you were always out on the yard working, you're always out doing things, Mum and I never saw you'.
"He says, ''we very nearly lost you', and I was in tears.
"At the end of the day, it's an impact on the whole family and friends."
Marshall has told his story to anyone who will listen, including a farmer friend from New Zealand who came to visit while he was adapting to life without his legs.
After returning home, his friend became ill after getting a scratch.
His wife immediately thought of Marshall and they went to hospital.
The man was transferred to Christchurch and his life was saved.
Marshall was stunned when he heard.
"I thought, holy smoke. I've got a second chance to go out and help people."
And his advice to anyone feeling unwell after a minor cut?
"If in doubt, check it out."
Farmers are at particular risk of developing sepsis due to incidents on the farm, but are also notoriously reluctant to seek healthcare.
Dr Daniels said their innate "resilience" can often mean they arrive at hospital in a more advanced condition that would otherwise be the case.
"The first thing is to trust your instinct - you cannot sleep off sepsis.
"So if you're worried someone is deteriorating with an infection, then it's access healthcare in the best way you can, and just ask, could it be sepsis?"
The charity has called for greater public awareness of the key symptoms.
Dr Daniels said every hour in delay seeking treatment reduces a sepsis patient's chance of survival by 1-2%.
"A majority of people do survive sepsis, but about half of sepsis survivors suffer life-altering consequence for as long as a year or more after their original illness.
"And this might mean that they can't return to work, can't look after the children, or the grandchildren. This can be life-changing."
Getting the timing right, he said, will improve outcomes.
Sepsis has been identified as a 10-year priority for the NHS in England, but it is up to each of the devolved administrations to decide their own approach.
