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“World Sepsis Day isn’t just a date for me – it’s a day that holds profound significance in my life”

Scar Free Ambassador Jaco Nel discusses surviving sepsis for World Sepsis Day 2025

Saturday 13 September 2025

In 2016, Dr Jaco Nel got an accidental nick while playing with his dog. That small, seemingly insignificant cut would lead to a life-threatening condition called sepsis, which would change his life forever.

This World Sepsis Day 2025, Jaco tells his story.

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“World Sepsis Day, marked every year on September 13th, isn’t just a date on the calendar for me – it’s a day that holds profound significance in my life. Nine years ago, I faced sepsis head-on and came out the other side, but the experience left indelible marks that I still carry.

Sepsis is more than a medical term; it’s a sudden, terrifying crisis where your own body turns against you. Imagine your immune system, usually your protector, suddenly going into overdrive and causing chaos throughout your organs and tissues. It’s an urgent emergency, and tragically, it’s responsible for one in five deaths globally.

Most people think of sepsis as something caused by bacteria, but any infection (be it viral, fungal, or even parasitic) can tip the balance. The ordinary can quickly become life-threatening. That’s what happened to me: what felt like a routine flu – aches, deep exhaustion, chills – rapidly turned into something far more ominous.

After a restless night, I awoke feeling worse, confusion clouding my mind. I couldn’t recognise the danger signs. By the time my partner found me that evening, I was slipping in and out of consciousness, unable to speak clearly, my skin mottled, and my body weak.

I was in a medically induced coma in ICU for ten days. When I woke up, my legs and arms were black from gangrene, as were my lips and nose. Eventually, my legs were amputated below the knees. I also lost most of the fingers on my right hand and the index finger on my left hand. I lost most of my nose, and my lips are contracted from the scarring.

Jaco's face is pictured during his hospital stay with sepsis. He has an oxygen supply tube wrapped round his ears going into his nose, and his skin is severely mottled and darkened.

A year after surviving sepsis, my plastic surgeon introduced me to The Scar Free Foundation – a community full of warmth and determination. Becoming an ambassador connected me with people who understood, bringing much-needed encouragement and a sense of belonging.

Three years ago, I joined the Research Council, which opened my eyes to remarkable projects and took me to Swansea University’s laboratory, The Scar Free Foundation Programme of Reconstructive Research, where I met Professor Iain Whitaker OBE and even our Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh.

Recovery wasn’t a short path, it was a marathon. I underwent multiple surgeries on my face and hands, learning to live in a body that felt unfamiliar and uncooperative. Everyday routines became new challenges; I had to find peace with the things I could no longer do.

Jaco stands in the middle of four nurses outside a hospital. The nurses helped him recover from sepsis.

Every reflection, every video call, is a reminder. Sometimes, I catch curious glances or hear unkind words from strangers, and it stings.

Our scars and disabilities are lifelong, but that’s exactly why the work of The Scar Free Foundation and its researchers matters so much.

Together, we’re working so the next generation may heal more fully, and perhaps, with less pain”.

Dr Jaco Nel, Scar Free Foundation Ambassador, stands at a lectern on a stage to deliver his speech to symposium guests.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where an immune system fighting an infection goes into overdrive, causing damage to tissues and organs.

The similarity of its symptoms to other conditions, like colds and flu, mean it can be difficult to spot.

According to World Sepsis Day, sepsis:

is diagnosed in 47-50 million patients a year
causes at least 11 million deaths per year
results in long-term physical and/or psychological effects for up to 50% of survivors

Learn more about Jaco’s experience of surviving sepsis on his Ambassador page.

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