A mother has told how she lost 11 stone after nearly dying from a ‘hidden killer’ condition – which pushed her to make a huge lifestyle change.

Jo O’Farrell, 40, had struggled with her weight for 10 years as she turned to food for convenience and comfort – with Indian takeaways and McDonalds breakfasts common.

The mother, from Southport, had attempted to drop the extra weight with a number of diets, but had been prone to ‘yo-yo dieting’ and never managed to keep it off. 

It was in 2021 that things took a turn, and Ms O’Farrell was left fighting for her life.

She had contracted sepsis from an undetected sinus infection, a life-threatening reaction which is often referred to as a ‘hidden killed’.

Jo O’Farrell, 40, had struggled with her weight for 10 years as she turned to food for convenience and comfort – with Indian takeaways and McDonalds breakfast common

The mother, from Southport, had attempted to drop her extra weight with a number of diets, but had been prone to ‘yo-yo dieting’ and never managed to keep it off

This pushed the mother to make a significant lifestyle change, and drop from 23st to 12st in only 16 months. 

She said: ‘I got really poorly around two years ago, I didn’t know what was happening to me. I felt weak walking around the house and 12 hours later I was in an ambulance going to hospital.

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‘My body was completely shutting down. They had to put a line in my neck to give me adrenaline.’

Ms O’Farrell said her partner – who works in a hospital – instantly recognised her symptoms and pushed her to Southport Hospital, where she was admitted in a critical condition.

She said as she started responding to treatment, she had to learn to walk again.

‘I had an epiphany that ‘I’m not going to die in here with these people.’ Something inside me gave me the courage to get better. That was a huge wake up call,’ she said.

 The mother was told by medics that her weight had an impact on her ability to fight off the infection. This inspired her to finally find a diet that worked for her – the Cambridge 1:1.

As a result, she dropped from a size to 26 to a size 14 in clothing.

Looking back at life before her weight loss, Ms O’Farrell said: ‘I wasn’t really looking after myself. I wasn’t really going out of the house in case I bumped into anyone from when I was thinner.

‘I was dodging people in supermarkets, wearing caps, hiding from the world. It’s like I’ve been brought back from the dead.

‘I can suddenly do the things I’ve seen everyone else doing for ten years. I’m going out for a meal or a coffee and not thinking everyone is staring at the fact I’m hanging off the chair.

‘I can go to the park, go on the swings with my kids. I’m joining in rather than starring from the corner. It’s like they’ve got their mum back.’

It was in 2021 that things took a turn, and Ms O’Farrell was left fighting for her life