Mom thought her 3-year-old caught a virus at daycare, but now he's lost both his legs

The world, unfortunately, can be a frightening place, and no matter how hard we try, it's impossible to shield our children from every danger.

Mother Gemma Reckless knows this all too well. According to The Mirror, she first noticed something was wrong with her son, William, when he started vomiting and developed a high fever. When he broke out in a rash, Gemma initially suspected scarlet fever. What she didn't know was that her life was about to turn upside down.

On January 13, 3-year-old William was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered the horrifying truth.

"At that point, they realized the child was suffering from sepsis," Gemma explained. "And his body went into shock."

"They said, 'We're going to have to sedate him and put him on a ventilator so his body can rest.'"

William was later transferred to a larger hospital, where his family was told he might not survive.

Gemma recounted, "You just can't comprehend going from thinking he's at home with a fever to hearing he's in a coma and his heart has stopped. It feels unreal."

"I kept telling my husband, 'Please, someone wake me up from this nightmare.' It was awful. And he was in a coma for eight days."

"They kept telling us to prepare ourselves. And I kept saying, 'How can you prepare yourself for something like this? I can't prepare myself for this.'"

Then, on the eighth day, William's family finally received good news. His condition began to improve to the point where doctors said he would survive, but he would need amputations.

"They amputated both his legs, one above the knee and the other below the knee," Gemma said. "And every finger except his right thumb as well."

"But we couldn't believe how much his condition improved immediately after the surgery."

"He had the surgery, and a few days later, he was already eating, smiling, and playing again."

Now, his family wants to warn others about the dangers of **sepsis**, a life-threatening condition caused by the body's overwhelming response to an infection.

"If your child isn't feeling well and you think, 'This is more than just a virus,' get them checked," Gemma urged. "Could it be sepsis? Because time is literally against you."

William's family has set up a fundraising page dedicated to helping him walk again.

We are so relieved that little William survived, but his life will be forever changed because of sepsis.

Please share this article to raise awareness about sepsis and its potentially devastating effects.