A CROSSHILL grandmother who lost limbs after contracting sepsis from a tiny paper cut has written a book about her experiences.

Despite only being able to type with a half a thumb, Marguerite Henderson, 56, has turned author in a bid to help others and raise awareness of Sepsis and its consequences.

Sepsis: Raw and Real is an account of what the inspirational former family support worker has gone through since she was struck by the devastating illness in August last year.

She decided to put her story into print after speaking about resilience at an event in Glenrothes.

"I had been trying to sort of analyse and work out what had happened as it seemed a bit like a dream because I had just been going through the motions for months on end," she told the Times.

"After hospital, I started to think did that really happen. I start to try and put things into place because I had all these bits of a jigsaw and felt I didn't have a true picture of how it was. Because I cannot remember the first week, it is like it happened to someone else because how could it happen to me because I don't remember it.

"I realised that it was a benefit to write it down. It actually made it real and made me realise what I had been through and what had happened.

"There was that much interest when I did the speech. A lot of people were really interested in what happened and the results of Sepsis and how serious it was and what could happen and my journey from then to getting my arms and legs cut off. How I have coped with it, my feelings and the anxieties it has caused. Yes you are resilient but it doesn't mean you are resilient every day.

"I lost my independence, I lost my job, I have to have carers to look after me because I can't do some things - like put on deodorant – so my dignity and everything went. I did sewing and creative things and I can not do that anymore. Having to think what I am going to do with my life, how can I have purpose when so much has been taken away from me. It has been life changing in the biggest way".

Marguerite added: "I would love to be independent but I could never be. That has been hard to get my head around but I can do a lot more now than I could. I could have laid down to it but I was not prepared to do that. I have got so long to live and don't want to just exist."

As well as having to get over the physical challenge of writing a book, the experience has also been an emotional one for Marguerite.

"I have only half a thumb and no fingers and I can only press the buttons with my half thumb so I can only do it for so long before it starts to get tender," she explained.

"So to do say a question mark you have to press two buttons so I had to use one of those pens you have for your phone and I have to put that in my mouth because I cannot do that.

"I started in about March or April time and have been writing it since then and just done it when I have able to do it. At times it became stressful because I was having to go over things that I wanted to forget about at times but it made me remember a lot of things.

"At times, I thought it is really doom and gloom but it is reality and it is how it is and if I had not said it as it was, I was not being real to myself or everybody else.

"I wanted it to be the reality of how it really was, how I felt when I was going through these things."

Having completed the book, Marguerite is now contacting publishers in the hope of being able to see it going into print.

"I am not wanting to profit from it," she added, "It is about telling my story. It is about the awareness and letting people know what it is like.

"I don't want a new career. It is a one-off to let people know and give people who are maybe going through something similar to have an understanding that is is ok to feel like that. That is why I want to get it out there so it helps others."