Student's Meningitis Battle Leads to Amputations—Now She's Rebuilding Her Life

A British student lost both legs after mistaking meningitis symptoms for a cold.

Ketia Mopond, a 20-year-old student at De Montfort University in Leicester, suffered a severe illness with life-altering consequences. In September 2024, she noticed a cough and drowsiness but dismissed them as signs of a viral infection.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly within a day: she was found unconscious and rushed to Leicester Royal Infirmary, where doctors diagnosed her with bacterial meningitis and sepsis. The disease plunged her into a coma and later caused tissue necrosis due to a secondary flesh-eating infection.

In December 2024, surgeons amputated both of her legs below the knee and all her fingers to save her life. She was discharged from the hospital only in February after five months of treatment.

Despite her disability, Mopond has already learned to walk with prosthetics and has vowed to continue her modeling career and take up running. "This doesn't make me any less valuable," she emphasized in an interview.