A DAD and well-known parkrun volunteer "nearly died" when life-threatening sepsis transformed into a ‘flesh-eating’ bacterial infection.

Julie Dobson first noticed worsening symptoms in her husband, Luke, when cold and flu developed into a pain in his elbow and then, vomiting.

When the 42-year-old, of Undy, attended Royal Gwent Hospital’s A & E department on Saturday, January 6, doctors discovered a septic infection had spread through his arm.

As the condition worsened, he was diagnosed with Necrotising Fasciitis (NS) –a bacterial infection which damages tissue– and as a result, “quite a lot of tissue was removed,”said Mrs Dobson.

“Fortunately, they didn’t go down to the muscle,” she said. “He has recovered physically but now it’s about the mental recovery.

“They figured out it was sepsis early on as the arm started swelling. There was a fantastic doctor who just said: ‘this isn’t right, he’s too ill for sepsis and there is something else going on’.

“It was such a shock that this can happen and happen so fast. Something that seems really small can become something life-threatening.”

According to NHS Choices, one or two in every five cases of NS are fatal and it is sometimes referred to as a ‘flesh-eating disease’ as bacteria releases toxins that damage tissue, muscle and organs.

“One consultant said he had been in the job 30 years and had only seen two cases,” Mrs Dobson added.

The IT engineer remains in intensive care at the Royal Gwent Hospital and has spent three days on life support, faced multiple surgeries to remove necrotic tissue and is expected to receive plastic surgery on his arm at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital.

Following the sudden illness, support has poured in from the Rogiet parkrun team – where Mr Dobson regularly volunteers with his wife.

Event director for Rogiet parkrun, Catherine Baker, posting on Facebook, said: “Luke is humbled by the love, support and messages that he and his family have received throughout the week.

“Luke, we all look forward to seeing you back at parkrun when you’re better and you’re ready. In the meantime, we are all thinking of you. "

Reflecting on the support, Mrs Dobson, said: “I just think it’s lovely the amount of comments and well wishes, we’re a big part of parkrun and it’s a parkrun family.”

She also thanked Caldicot School for supporting daughter Claudia, aged 13, and family and friends for sending online messages which are read out to her husband in hospital.

Looking forward, Mrs Dobson hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of sepsis and is raising money for the UK Sepsis Trust by taking on the Severn Bridge 10k later this year.

A JustGiving page, set up for the event, states she is taking on the fundraising challenge because "my husband nearly died from sepsis."

“What Luke wanted to do was go back to bed but it was serious,” she said.

“It’s about knowing what the signs of sepsis are and when someone seems more and more unwell, that is the instance to act on it.

“What I would say is trust your gut instinct.”

According to the UK Sepsis Trust, Sepsis accounts for 44,000 deaths annually in the UK – more than breast cancer, bowel cancer and prostate cancer put together.

To support Mrs Dobson's fundraising, which has already hit £135, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/julie-dobson15

For more information on sepsis or NS, visit: sepsistrust.org or www.nhs.uk/conditions/necrotising-fasciitis