Khedidja Teape is putting her life back together after she lost most of her limbs to postpartum sepsis right after delivering her twin babies. She has become an advocate for the condition, helping others by using her story to raise awareness.
“I want more awareness to be raised about sepsis. Cancer is so well known, but people don’t realise how dangerous sepsis is too, and how many people die,” the south-west London resident was quoted by The Sun. “It destroyed my body, and nearly killed me.”
The mother of four said that she and her partner Shawn Ayton were surprised to find out they were expecting twins in 2023 because they already had a boy and a girl. Nonetheless, they were excited.
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She found out she was having twins — another boy and a girl — five months into her pregnancy. Khedidja went through a slow, natural labor at St George’s Hospital in London in April 2023. Her son, Zakari, was born first, followed by her daughter, Zalaysia, 45 minutes later. They were declared healthy.
The family was released from the hospital the next day after receiving the all-clear. Naturally, Khedidja was worn out from caring for her newborns at home in London. But that day, while breastfeeding, she began to have severe stomach aches.
She recounted, “The next day the midwives came over for their daily check-up. I told them my stomach was hurting still and I didn’t feel well. They blamed it on me giving birth and told me to take painkillers. But after that, the pains got worse. Soon, I was throwing up green and yellow vomit. I had diarrhoea and body aches. I lost my appetite, couldn’t eat and I was shivering constantly.”
“Shawn looked after the twins in the night as I struggled in pain. A week after I gave birth, I felt like I was going to die. Even though the midwives told me I was fine, I listened to my gut feeling and called an ambulance.”
Paramedics came 20 minutes later and rushed Khedidja back to the hospital where she gave delivery. She was falling in and out of consciousness there, her blood pressure was declining, and her heart rate was dangerously high.
After CT scans, the mother ended up in intensive care, completely unaware of what was going on. Doctors suspected she developed an inflammation in her wound from birthing the infants.
Another doctor thought that she may have an abscess inside her womb that would require surgery to drain. They wheeled her into the emergency room after that.
“Everything happened so fast,” she said.
The next time Khedidja opened her eyes, her partner Shawn told her that she was suffering with postpartum sepsis, which was caused by a Strep A infection.
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If she hadn’t called for an ambulance, doctors said, she wouldn’t have survived the night. However, a few days later, Khedidja experienced hallucinations and became silent, unable to respond to anyone. Doctors were concerned that the illness had spread to her brain, but she soon recovered and began speaking again.
A group of medical professionals braced Khedidja and her family for the worst in May 2023. She recalled, “They told me they had to amputate my limbs. My heart sank. I begged them not to and to see how much I healed first, but they said they had no choice because the skin was dead. I kept pleading, but they wouldn’t listen. For the next few months, I visited the rehab center and met other amputees who helped me feel better. They told me my life wouldn’t stop. I became a bit optimistic after that.”
In August 2023, Khedidja signed consent documents for the amputation after approving the hospital’s plan.
Khedidja stated, “They decided to do it in two parts. The first one they amputated my legs, left arm, one hand, and the fingers on the other. When I woke up, I couldn’t feel anything. I was glad it was over, and that I’d survived. Two weeks later, I had another operation. They made the stumps and amputated more of the dead parts of my left arm. This time after waking, I was in agony. The drugs didn’t work as well as the last time. But I told myself every day I needed to stay strong to get home to my family.”
She moved into a rehabilitation facility after the surgery, where she lived, learned exercises, and adjusted to her new body. They gave her permission to visit her family at home on the weekends.
She soon started walking with sockets in and got her prosthetics fitted in the new year. She then returned home, able to walk independently.
Despite the weight of her situation, Khedidja expressed, “My life may have been flipped upside down, but at least my babies, and my older kids, still have their mum.”
Khedidja advised, “If I hadn’t called an ambulance when I did, doctors said I might have died in my sleep. People need to be aware how dangerous sepsis is if they don’t act fast. Not even health professionals knew. Listen to your gut.”
She also began a GoFundMe to raise money. She wrote, “I will use the funds for advanced prosthetics limbs, maintenance of wheelchairs, therapy, mobility aids, adaptions to my home, and support for my family as we navigate this new normal while I work towards reclaiming my independence and adjusting to my new reality.”
