A British Conservative MP was applauded yesterday after returning to Parliamentafter all four of his limbs were amputated.
This is Craig Mackinlay, who was rushed to hospital last September after suffering sepsis, a very serious complication of an infection that can cause organ failure.
This led to him spending 16 days in an induced coma before all four limbs were amputated in December.
The MP described his return as an “emotional day”, apologizing for breaking parliamentary rules by wearing sneakers, as his shoes did not fit his prosthetic feet, and for not wearing a jacket as he could not fit well into his new ones. arms.
In an interview with the BBC, the 57-year-old MP, who describes himself as the first “bionic parliamentarian” due to his prosthetics, explained that on the night of his hospitalization he went to bed early, thinking he had caught a simple cold.
Then his condition worsened overnight and his wife called emergency services.
Half an hour after he was admitted to the hospital, his body “turned blue,” a side effect of septic shock, the deputy explained.
After 16 days in an artificial coma, with chances of survival estimated at 5%, he was transferred to a London hospital, very close to Parliament.
The deputy hardly remembers it, but he does remember the discussions that took place around him about his limbs, which had become black and stiff.
British MP who suffered amputation of all four limbs returned to Parliament
On December 1, 2023, the operation was carried out to amputate all four of his limbs.
When he woke up, he discovered his new body wrapped in bandages.
“They managed to save (their limbs) up to the elbows and above the knees. So you could say I’m lucky.”he claimed.
MacKinley explained that he continued working as a deputy from the hospital bed, beginning his re-education.
On February 28, five months after his septic shock, he began to take his first steps without help.
The parliamentarian wants to raise political awareness about sepsis, which causes around 48,000 deaths each year in the United Kingdom, and plans to run again for his constituency of Kent (southeast of England) in the legislative elections scheduled this year.
