A father-of-one has told how he was forced to have his leg amputated after suffering a small burn on his feet that developed into life-threatening sepsis.

Olubiyi Jibowu, from London, gave himself a DIY pedicure in July 2023, running a bath with Himalayan salt, in a bid to have smoother feet for summer. 

But the now 57-year-old, who has type 2 diabetes making it harder to feel pain, only realised how scalding the water was when he saw angry blisters all over his feet. 

Instead of seeking medical attention, he treated the burns himself with Dettol believing it would help the sores to heal quickly. 

However, after days of excruciating pain, the skin on his feet peeled and shrivelled, turning black. 

It was only after his manager saw his feet and urged him to go to A&E that medics then discovered he had sepsis—the immune system’s violent reaction to an infection.

Despite rapid treatment in hospital, doctors were forced to amputate his leg below the knee to prevent it spreading. 

Now, the addiction support worker is calling on others not to brush off small wounds and always seek help quickly—especially if they’re diabetic. 

Olubiyi Jibowu, from London , gave himself a DIY pedicure in July 2023, running a bath with Himalayan salt, in a bid to have smoother feet for summer

But the now 57-year-old, who has type 2 diabetes making it harder to feel pain, only realised how scolding the water was until he saw angry blisters all over his feet

Recalling his horrifying ordeal, Mr Jibowu said: ‘I initially thought, these are just blisters, they’ve peeled and they’re a bit sore.

‘I didn’t want them to get infected, so I thought Dettol would make it better. That’s what my mum used to do.

‘She would put a drop here and there, but I kept pouring it on.

‘It was pain I can’t even describe. I’m a big guy, but it was just too much.

‘The skin eventually shrivelled up and was just torn apart. It went all black. I could see the fragments of my bone structure on my feet.’

He added: ‘The left foot just wasn’t healing. I went to work one day and showed my manager, and she sent me home immediately.

‘I called my sister, and I was in severe pain. She could hear it in my voice that I needed urgent help. My skin was falling off.

‘I went to King’s Hospital in London and I just thought, this will pass, it will get better but it didn’t.’

Instead of seeking medical attention he treated the burns himself with Dettol, to attempt to recover quicker

However, after days of excruciating pain, the skin peeled and shrivelled, turning black. It was only after his manager saw his feet and urged him to go to A&E that medics then discovered he had sepsis—the immune system’s violent reaction to an infection

Type 2 diabetes can leave patients with reduced pain perception due to nerve damage, known as diabetic neuropathy.

This damage can result in numbness, tingling, or burning sensations, and in some cases, a reduced perception of pain, especially in the extremities like the feet and hands. 

But Mr Jibowu wasn’t even aware he had the condition until medics diagnosed him with type 2 diabetes in hospital.  

He said: ‘The moment I got there, I knew it was serious. It was rapidly deteriorating.

‘They wrapped it [my feet] up and pumped me full of antibiotics, but there was no healing.’

After weeks in hospital to treat sepsis with antibiotics, he was told medics had no choice but to amputate below the knee.

‘I was in a state of shock; my mind was all over the place,’ he added. 

‘I didn’t want the consultant who talked about that anywhere near me. I really believed there could be a better solution, not amputation straight away.

Despite rapid treatment in hospital, doctors were forced to amputate below the knee to prevent it spreading. Now, the addiction support worker is calling on others not to brush off small wounds and always seek help quickly—especially if they’re diabetic

‘I said, “Are you telling me there’s no plan B to turn this around?” I was just so taken aback.’

Sepsis, nicknamed the ‘silent killer’ because it is extremely difficult to recognise, kills just shy of 50,000 Brits every year.

It occurs when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive, setting off a series of reactions that can lead to organ failure.

Bacterial infections are usually to blame, but viruses such as Covid and flu—which antibiotics don’t work against—can also lead to sepsis.

Early detection is vital. In its early stages, it can cause shivering, aches and may be mistaken for flu.

Suspected patients are meant to get antibiotics within an hour of arriving at hospital.

Every hour of delay in diagnosis increases the risk of dying from sepsis by one to two per cent, The UK Sepsis Trust estimates.

But the after-effects that survivors encounter can be life-changing.

Former MP Craig Mackinlay, 57, was given a rousing welcome when he returned to Parliament in May, having lost his hands and feet after developing sepsis in September last year

Former MP Craig Mackinlay, 57, was given a rousing welcome when he returned to Parliament in May, having lost his hands and feet after developing sepsis in September 2023. 

He also suffered tissue damage to his gums, leaving him with loose teeth, and to his ears and face.

Mr Craig decided to stand down as an MP partly, he said, as ‘it would be difficult to sustain 70 to 80-hour working weeks which were the norm prior to my illness’.

In August 2023, just a month after Mr Jibowu first burnt his feet, he underwent his life-changing operation. 

‘The moment the amputation happened, it relieved the pain I was feeling, but I was struggling with acceptance,’ he said. 

‘I thought, am I going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life? It was a really hard pill to swallow.

‘I couldn’t even cry. It was just life-changing. The prosthetic was a light at the end of the tunnel.

‘After spending two months at King’s, I was admitted to a prosthetic place where I had to learn how to walk again and manoeuvre myself in a wheelchair.

‘It was intense because I had all this therapy and physios.’

Now he’s urging others not to brush off small wounds—and always seek medical attention.

He has also launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for a lighter, high-quality titanium prosthetic leg that will help him walk more comfortably, stay active and get his independence back. To date, he has raised just under £3,000.  

The funds will also help cover ongoing rehab costs so he can live without constant pain and keep working to rebuild his life.

Mr Jibowu said: ‘My brain still thinks I’ve got part of my limb there. I can get phantom feelings any time of the day—I can feel the heel as if it’s there.

‘It’s really important to get it checked out as soon as you see anything that’s bloody or an open wound.

‘The doctors have specific antibiotics that will get rid of the infection, and it’s much better to let a specialist handle it.

‘If I had had a little bit of insight, if I knew I was diabetic, it would have alleviated everything I went through.

‘It’s an adaptation, and it feels like life threw me a curveball. Following the amputation, I thought, poor me, how did I get here?

‘Then, I would quickly catch myself and focus on the things that are of strength, positive, rational—and just let that drive me instead of wallowing.

‘When I think about what I went through to get to this point, it doesn’t seem so bad. I’m going to be rational and positive, it’s going to be okay.’