An Edinburgh mum has launched a fresh appeal to help her son walk 'pain-free' after losing his fingers and toes following a battle with sepsis.
Jakub Kolek, aged six, was rushed to hospital with a serious infection just 18 months into his life and after his conditioned worsened when sepsis set in, doctors were unsure if the youngster would survive the ordeal.
Against all odds, Jakub pulled through and his mum, Karina, has been fundraising to help him live a more painless life ever since, as the Daily Record reports.
After tissue damage caused Jakub's limbs to be severely impacted by the deadly infection, Jakub lost multiple fingers and toes and five years later, he still struggles to walk.
Karina, now aged 32, has recently opened up on the worst moment of her life as she attempts to fundraise cash for a potentially life-changing treatment that could give her son "a chance to be normal."
Speaking to the Record, Karina said: "I remember those moments when Jakub was first ill so clearly.
"The sound of the ambulance, the smell of the hospital corridor, the pain I felt somewhere inside.
"I was scared by the way my son looked. His arms and legs were black. I was mad with despair, fear, pain, helplessness - it is impossible to describe.
"My child was dying before my eyes.
"The doctors said they did not know if he would make it. At one point, only his heart was still beating. So I prayed.
"Fortunately, God gave my son one more life and Jakub had enough strength to survive."
Karina is unable to move on from the terrifying ordeal as Jakub suffers from cruel scars left from Necrotising Fascitis - a rare but serious bacterial infection that affects the tissue beneath the skin.
She added: "Some of his fingers could not be saved but his feet suffered the most. That is where the greatest tissue loss is."
Jakub has undergone some reconstructive surgery to help repair his feet and allow him to weight bear, however during the treatment, medics discovered he has damaged growth cartilages which will require further operations to help him to walk without pain.
Doctors insist it is important to address this issue in the near future and after advice from specialists, single mum-of-two Karina has launched a fundraiser for further reconstructive treatment from a specialist team in Poland.
Karina said: "I am fighting for my son because I believe this is the only chance he will have to function like other children.
"If Jakub does not get this surgery soon, it may result in more damage to the skin.
"Not only will that cause more pain - but in the worst case may lead to Osteomyelitis, a type of swelling in the bone, which could make him seriously ill again."
Jakub's operation has been priced up by doctors with an estimated cost of around £60,000 and so far, Karina hasn't even managed to break the £100 barrier.
In a plea for help towards his treatment Karina said: "I'm a mother with two children, alone, and I will cannot cope with it on my own.
"Jakub survived, but he is crippled.
"I wholeheartedly ask for this help so that my son can live without pain, without a wheelchair and walk normally like other children in future."
To donate to the fundraiser for Jakub's operation click here.
