This Canadian teen lost her hands and feet to an infection. She's on a mission to share her story

A Canadian teen is reaching audiences around the world with powerful social media videos showing life without hands and feet – the price she paid after developing sepsis.

A Canadian teen is reaching audiences around the world with powerful social media videos showing life without hands and feet – the price she paid after developing sepsis.

"I think I want them to know that it's more common than people think, ... that any kind of infection can turn septic," said 19-year-old Amalie Henze.

The high school student in Brantford Ont. began feeling ill in October of 2023. She initially thought it was linked to her Crohn's disease - an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes the digestive tract to become swollen and irritated. But as Amalie grew more ill, she was taken to the ER, with what she described as "an impending sense of doom" as she waited 18 hours to be admitted.

Her mother, Amanda Henze, says Amalie underwent tests, but it was only when staff lifted her bed covers that they noticed her hands and feet had turned black: the signs of severe sepsis.

“Oh, this is septic shock," said Amanda in her interview with CTV News, recounting the reaction to her condition. "It's been missed, like, it's too late. It was really scary."

Sepsis happens when a common infection from bacteria, fungal infection, or a virus - think of the flu - triggers the immune system to overreact.