A mum who lost both legs to a deadly infection has been left speechless after a group of selfless strangers came together to give her back her independence.
Cher Little, 46, was given just a 20 percent chance of survival after being rushed into hospital in October last year, where she was told she had a developed septic shock due to a rare infection in her bloodstream called Meningococcal Septicaemia.
The mum-of-two was put on life support, and doctors made the tough decision to amputate both of Cher's legs below the knee in February this year in a bid to get her home.
She returned home after more than three months in hospital, and is now learning to walk again, with the help of prosthetics.
But, the life-changing surgery has meant Cher relies on a wheelchair most of the time, and is confined to the living room of her home in Connah's Quay, Wales.
But a charity called Band of Builders heard Cher's story and offered to help the devoted Welsh mum, hoping to overhaul her entire home to make it easier for her to get around.
Cher said: “At the moment we can’t quite believe this is actually going to happen.
“I’ve had a huge amount of support from people around me, including my sister who I owe a big thank you to, but the thought of complete strangers coming to do this for us has left us a bit speechless.
“It’s going to make a huge difference, not just to me but to all of us, and we’re just so grateful to everyone involved.”
Band of Builders works across the UK to help those affected by serious health conditions or injuries and this will be their 20th project to date.
The renovation is also the biggest project they have tackled and will take place in three phases, with the first phase already underway.
Tony Steel from Band of Builders said: "Cher’s life has been irreversibly changed by her condition and she’s currently confined to one room in the house, with little privacy.
"We’re hoping the changes we are planning will help improve not only her quality of life, but the whole family’s, and help them move forward after what has been an incredibly difficult time.
"The project will be our biggest to date, with our volunteers coming from across the country to help Cher and her family."
The massive project will include building a new extension, adding a new low-level kitchen and wet room and refitting Cher’s bedroom.
Volunteers will also remove internal walls and widen doorways with ramped access outside to make the home wheelchair accessible and allow Cher to move around independently.
