World Sepsis Day: Wakefield dad-of-three paralysed from delayed treatment 'looking towards the future' after his adapted home renovations complete

Richard Saberton was admitted to hospital in November 2016 with neck and shoulder pain, confusion and difficulty speaking. He was suspected to have sepsis, where the body attacks itself in response to an infection.

However, it took three hours for antibiotics to be administered and Richard, from Horbury, went on to develop a spinal abscess and required surgery.

The former construction manager spent nearly a year in hospital following his admission and he’s now paralysed from the waist down and suffers from weakness in his arms.

The 73-year-old instructed expert medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his care and the legal experts secured Richard a settlement to help fund the specialist support and therapies he requires.

And as part of his settlement Richard and wife Lynn, 74, have moved into a home specially adapted for his needs.

Richard said: “It’s been seven years now and while I still find it hard to come to terms with how my life changed so drastically in such a short timeframe, I know how lucky I am to still be here.

“Since moving into our new home, my life has been a lot easier and I’m very grateful. It’s taken longer than expected to get it completed, but we made it, with a lot of help from my son Richard and his network of tradesmen.

“Since my time in hospital, we’ve been blessed with five grandchildren. Although I really struggle with the fact I’ll never kick a ball around with them, at least I’m still around to watch them grow and enjoy what I can do with them.

“I’m now looking to the future, but I wanted to share my story to make people aware of sepsis and the importance of being treated early. I wouldn’t want anyone suffering like my family and I have.”

Richard and Lynn, who are parents to Robert, 37, Richard, 36 and Sara, 34, and grandparents-of-five, moved into their adapted home in 2021.

Following extensive groundworks, landscaping and installation of ramps and bifold doors, Richard now has access to 90 per cent of the property.

A large accessible greenhouse and fish pond also provide him with plenty to do. A keen cook and gardener, he’s also started growing vegetables and flowers in containers on the patio.

Rachelle Mahapatra, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who represented Richard, said: “The past seven years haven’t been easy for Richard and his family as they were faced with difficult challenges following his diagnosis and surgery.

“While nothing can change what’s happened, Richard is also keen to raise awareness of sepsis and how it can be life-threatening if it’s not treated early. We join him in marking World Sepsis Day.”

Signs of sepsis include slurred speech, confusion, extreme shivering and muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness and mottled or discoloured skin.

World Sepsis Day takes place on 13 September. For more information visit www.sepsistrust.org