Milton Keynes man to run marathon to help nephew who lost both legs and hands to sepsis

Mark Rolfe was devastated when his 18-year-old nephew Hamish Wilson became seriously ill with sepsis just after starting university last October.

Surgeons had to amputate both his legs and both his hands in order to save his life.

The 18-year-old was afterwards transferred to an amputation rehabilitation unit in London, where he was fitted with prosthetic legs and has been learning to walk again.

But the NHS can only supply him with basic prosthetic hands, and more advanced robotic ones must be bought privately – at a cost of up to £25,000.

Mark, who lives in Milton Keynes, has vowed to raise funds to provide Hamish with the best possible hands. He is training to run his first marathon and has set up a fundraising page called Hands for Hamish for sponsorship.

He said: “My nephew Hamish Wilson started University last September at age 18, just a few weeks later he became seriously ill on October 20th and was rushed to hospital.

“He had pneumonia which developed into meningitis causing multiple organs to begin failing and he was placed into an induced coma and almost died several times.

“Unfortunately he developed sepsis which meant that his limbs needed to be amputated, with both legs from below his knees and both of his hands, so he is now a quadruple amputee.”

Meanwhile, Hamish is already walking again with his prosthetic legs and is busy learning essential skills like cookery to help him regain his independence and return to university.

Mark said: “Hamish is an amazingly positive young man and is adjusting to this terrible change to his life and is planning to re-start his university course again in September this year.

"I am helping raise funds for him, to obtain the best hands we can afford for him by running my first ever marathon on 5th May in Milton Keynes. If you would be kind enough to support me in this endeavour you will be helping him regain his independence.

“Thank you for your support.”

You can donate to the fund here.