Mum told she will lose both hands and feet after falling unwell on night out

26 January 2024 , 11:23

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Jack (left ) and Ben ( right ) were told their mum will loose her hands and feets after she fell ill in December (Image: Ben Neal)

Two sons have shared the moment they were asked if their mum should be "let go or survive with no limbs" after she suddenly dropped ill on New Year's Eve.

Mandy Neal, 51, from York, began to feel under the weather during a night out with her friends. She tried to sleep it off at her friend's house but noticed something wasn't right the next day.

The waitress, of Betty's Tearoom, was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia after she was rushed to hospital. But things went from bad to worse after the condition had developed into sepsis shock from a Strep A infection. Her sons, Ben, 32, and Jack, 30, described it as the "worst evening of their lives" after they were given the unexpected dilemma. They said their mum was "always on the move" and loved swimming and cycling.

Recalling when Mandy had first become ill, Ben said: "Mum stayed at her friend's house on NYE after she became unwell. The day after that they still knew something wasn’t quite right. She was confused and seemed drunk but hadn’t had a drink and was struggling more and more to breathe.

"They called an ambulance and when paramedics arrived we realised quickly this was very serious. She was blue-lighted to A&E and had a chest X-ray which indicated a severe case of pneumonia. Jack and I were terrified, but mum being mum just asked for a cup of tea.

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"It wasn’t until we saw a consultant that we realised just how serious things were. We were told that the pneumonia had turned to sepsis shock. She was rushed to Intensive Care to be sedated into an induced coma and put onto a ventilator to give her lungs rest and to breathe for her. We told mum we loved her and thought this would be the last time we would see her alive, as the sepsis had attacked her kidneys, lungs and heart. It was and remains without doubt the worst evening of our lives."

Ben will run a raise with his brother to raise funds for Mandy (Ben Neal)

Jack was given the devastating news after his mum went on a night out with her friends (Ben Neal)

After more tests the family later learnt their mum had suffered a Strep A infection, reports Yorkshire Live. They say they were told that due to the medication and drugs used, their mum's smaller blood vessels had been restricted. This meant if she was to survive, she would lose both her hands, feet and possibly her tongue. Ben added: "Jack and I were asked what mum would want, whether she would want to be let go or survive with no limbs.

"Our answer was, and will always be to keep her with us, so she can hug her grandkids, watch Jack get married and have children, spend time with the people she loves and enjoy the rest of her life the best way she can. Her tongue now looks good, but they have confirmed she will lose her hands and feet." The 32-year-old recalled how his much-loved mum is always so happy and smiley. He said: "There isn't many times she isn't smiling and energetic, she is a character, always doing something, always smiling, always energetic, she is a credit to life, she is great.

"Mum is always on the move. Swimming, walking and cycling have always been a big part of her life. She has always worked hard at her job in Betty’s for nearly 30 years. We are absolutely devastated that the outcome is what it is, but losing mum at 61, with her infectious energy and joy for life just wasn’t an option."

Mandy will need daily care and her family hope one day she will be able to have prosthetic limbs. Her family have since set up a fundraiser. "Mum would hate it if she knew there was so many people giving money to her and we are the same, we hate asking for money but we just want to give her some form of quality of life, we are trying to raise money to give her options and for her recovery," said Ben.

"Her life is going to change so much because of what is happening, we just knew we were going to have to do something, we are not looking for pity but we are under no illusion things are going to be so expensive. We also want to thank ICU at York Hospital and all their absolutely amazing staff, we’d also like to give a percentage of funds raised to them. The professionalism, dedication and empathy they have shown has been comforting for us in the most difficult weeks of our lives."

On October 20, 2024, Jack and Ben will also run the Yorkshire Marathon together to fundraise for their mum. They have set a target of £26,200 - which equals one thousand pound per mile on the day - and they plan to donate £5,000 to ICU York. Ben added: "Mum has tonnes of friends and has touched so many people’s hearts over the years. She’s the most selfless, kind and generous person you’d ever wish to meet and she does not deserve this.

"Mum always says 'live for today, you never know when your times up' she’s literally said it nearly every time we speak to her. She has no regrets and has lived an amazing life. Doctors have said if she wasn’t as fit as she was, there’s no chance she’d have survived. But she did. She’s been given another chance, and whilst she’s still here we intend to milk every single second of it. May this be a reminder to never take your parents or relatives for granted. Mum never had a cold before and in the space of two days her whole life has changed." To donate visit here.

Monica Charsley