Lily McGarry, 24, initially thought she had a sore throat
13:02, 06 Oct 2025Updated 13:02, 06 Oct 2025
Lily Mcgarry is now continuing her rehab in Llandough Hospital(Image: Lily McGarry)
When Lily McGarry, a sport-loving medicine student at Cardiff University, woke up in January with a sore throat and a bit of a cough she didn’t think much of it. Days later her family were told she was the sickest patient in the University Hospital of Wales.
A couple of months later she became a quadruple amputee having been diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia which developed into septic shock. Since January Lily has spent time in the University Hospital of Wales, Morriston Hospital, and now Llandough Hospital where she continues her rehabilitation.
The 24-year-old from Jersey, a talented swimmer and triathlete, went from running a 10k on the Sunday to being seriously ill in hospital by the Tuesday. In the almost 10 months since then Lily’s family have basically lived in south Wales, supporting her along the way. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter.
Lily has received constant support from her friends throughout(Image: Lily McGarry)
She said: “To be honest it feels very strange – time has gone so quickly but so slowly and so much has changed. I can’t remember most of January through to April or even May – I still feel a bit stuck in 2024. I often get the date wrong. Without sounding too clichéd it has been an emotional rollercoaster.
“There have definitely been dark days but the amazing healthcare staff and the support from family and friends has made those difficult times easier. Now that I’m in a rehab centre I have the opportunity to make friends with other patients. We will share our stories and have a laugh but can also support each other through problems.
“There are still days when I look at the scarring and my legs though and feel grief about how they look now compared to the way they were before. I know nothing can give me back my limbs or the life I expected to have but I’m trying to focus on what’s ahead. I don’t feel like my life has got worse – it has just changed.”
Lily is hoping that once she’s spent three months in Llandough Hospital she’ll finally be able to return home to Jersey where her parents are being held to a dog promise. At the moment her heart is set on a golden retriever.
Lily has had her heart set on a golden retriever after meeting Watson at Morriston Hospital(Image: Lily McGarry)
Returning to Jersey will be a huge landmark in Lily’s recovery but is something that will be helped hugely by the generosity of people far and wide who have donated to a fundraiser.
In April Lily’s family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for prosthetics and adaptations to help Lily return home and pay for the long-term care she will require. The fundraiser has received just shy of £480,000 donations to date with people continuing to donate daily.
The response to the fundraiser has been incredible with the initial goal of £100,000 being raised to £500,000. For Lily the response has been a real shock but will prove life-changing with the cost of one prosthetic leg exceeding £100,000.
Lily said: “I don’t know where to begin how to explain my gratitude towards the Cardiff and Jersey communities and further afield. I have received an incredible amount of support both from friends, family, and people who don’t even know me.
“Through the GoFundMe page thousands of people have provided support from donations to runs to music concerts to netball tournaments to cake sales. Not only this but I have received hundreds of messages of support which have kept me going when I am struggling. In fact there are many I still haven’t read and plan to take time to read in the future.”
The donations have acted as a constant motivation for Lily. “No words can really describe how this feels. Knowing that Wales, Jersey, and people all over the UK really want to see you get better makes me determined to make the best life as possible out of this situation.
“So I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Lily has been described as an ‘exceptional triathlete'(Image: GoFundMe)
When she became unwell Lily was in her third year of medicine and she is waiting to find out whether or not she’ll be able to continue her studies as she has to prove she has the core competencies required to qualify as a doctor.
While she finds out whether she’s able to continue her studies Lily has a crucial message to share with fellow students. Due to the huge numbers of people you mix with and the busy social life students experience their immune systems are often rundown meaning they are more susceptible to infections.
Lily urged everyone to check their vaccination history with their GP and ensure they are vaccinated against things like MMR and meningitis.
She also stressed how important it is for students to make sure they look out for their housemates as, like it was in her case, it can be truly life-saving.
‘Simply learning the symptoms of sepsis could save yours or a fellow student’s life'(Image: Lily McGarry)
She said: “My housemates Ella and Lucy saved my life. I was lucky that they could recognise I was unwell enough to go to hospital – I had a fever, I had no appetite and was struggling to pass urine, I was shivery, I was nauseous and vomiting, I was also incontinent.
“When we arrived at A&E I was very fortunate that my friends alerted the staff of my illness and escalated matters with the triage nurse when a nonblanching rash that is characteristic of meningitis appeared on my tummy.
“In my case I was lucky that they had medical knowledge but for those who don’t feel confident in identifying the signs of sepsis please have a look on Sepsis Research FEAT social media pages and website.“
The six signs of sepsis are:
- Slurred speech
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- Passing no urine (in a day)
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you’re going to die
- Skin mottled or discoloured