MP Craig Mackinlay has spoken for the first time since losing four limbs to sepsis – calling himself the 'bionic MP'.
The 57 year old for which his pharmacist wife Kati was credited notice his arms getting cold before calling an ambulance.
3
3
But who are Craig and Kati Mackinlay and what bothered the MP?
Who is Craig Mackinlay MP?
Craig Mackinlay was previously a chartered account enter politics early nineties.
He joined the then Antifederalist Party, which later expanded UKIP.
In 1999 he was interim leader of UKIP and contested elections at European and parliamentary level.
He left to join the Conservatives in 2005 over concerns about the direction UKIP was taking and became a councilor in Chatham in 2007.
He narrowly defeated UKIP in the 2015 general election Nigel Farage and comedian Al Murray to win South Thanet.
Who is Craig Mackinlay's wife Kati?
Craig is married to Kati, a community pharmacist who is originally from there Hungary.
The couple has a daughter named Olivia.
On his website, Craig said the couple enjoys traveling as much as possible.
They also like sailing.
What disease did Craig Mackinlay suffer from?
Kati fought back tears on Tuesday as she recalled how medics gave Craig a five per cent chance of survival when he developed sepsis.
The family's ordeal began on September 27 when Craig started to feel unwell.
Despite become seriously ill from one day to the next he thought nothing until concerned Kati tested his blood pressure and temperature.
By morning Craig's arms were stone cold and Kati could not feel a pulse – he was rushed to his local hospital in Medway, Kent, where he was placed in an induced coma for 16 days.
He recalled: “Within about half an hour I went like this, very strange blue… my whole body, from top to bottom, ears everything – blue.
“That is a septic shock. It's when you have a very serious septic event.”
Despite doctors at St Thomas' Hospital in London saying Craig was “one of the sickest people they have ever seen”, Kati never lost hope.
She said GB News: “I have to admit I never said 'goodbye', I never thought this was it for Craig.
“The first two days it was difficult to deal with the idea: is it really happening or is it a nightmare?
“Then after about 48 hours the reality sinks in that this is not something you can wake up from.
“I turned deep and I always knew Craig would pull through, and he did. It became apparent that there would be limb loss, which became apparent after about seven to 10 days.”
On December 1, Craig had both hands and feet amputated and said he felt “surprisingly stoic” about the life-changing surgery.
In addition to the loss of limbs, the sepsis has also scarred Craig's face and gums, causing his front teeth to become loose.
Since then he has had to adapt to his four new prosthetic limbs and on February 28 he was able to walk his first 20 steps unassisted.
The loss of his hands is a 'real loss', but he is optimistic about the future and plans to contest his seat – which will be renamed Thanet East – at the next election.
He said: “When children come to Parliament's fantastic education centre, I want them to put on their parents' or their teacher's jacket or skirt and say, 'I want to see the bionic MP today'.”
3