This woman is forced to live with a ‘shark hand’ after an operation

Imagine living with a limb that looks like one of the world’s largest and most vicious predators? This is no longer a fantasy, or nightmare, for Sadie Kemp. After an operation, the 34-year-old Brit had her hand changed dramatically due to sepsis. She shared her new limb on TikTok for the world to see and it’s gotten millions of views.

Post-surgery shark hand

As reported by the New York Post, who first covered the story in December 2021, Sadie went to the hospital with severe stomach pain. But she never imagined that she would leave the building with a brand new hand. The doctors initially diagnosed her with a kidney stone and were shocked to discover that the young woman was suffering from a terrible sepsis. This is often a fatal blood infection that is caused by a virus or bacteria.

To contain the problem, medical professionals made the difficult decision to induce Sadie into a coma for 11 days. When she was unconscious, doctors amputated all the fingers on her left hand to counteract the effects of the condition. After sewing it back together, the hand had a whole new look.

Sadie decided to share her story on TikTok in a more humorous fashion and the shark hand soon became the star on the Chinese social network.

Septic shock

Unfortunately, that may not be the only limb that Sadie Kemp lost in this terrible ordeal. Her legs below the knees, and her other hand may also have to be amputated if her health does not improve.

This case highlights the seriousness of septic shock, which can result in ‘acute circulatory failure manifested by a sudden drop in blood pressure caused most commonly by a bacterial infection but sometimes a viral or fungal infection,’ according to Journal des Femmes. The mortality rate after experiencing septic shock remains very high.

This article has been translated from Gentside Fr.