Coronation Street’s sepsis storyline has helped to save a baby in real life.
Kevin Webster’s (Michael Le Vell) son Jack Webster (Kyran Bowes) was recently struck down with the condition – a serious complication of an infection, also known as blood disease – in the ITV soap, and mother Aoife Duffy took her baby Eabha to A&E after recalling GPs didn’t pick up Jack’s condition on the programme.
She said: "We made a GP appointment, but I Googled her symptoms and remembered on ‘Coronation Street’ when the symptoms weren’t picked up by the GP several times, so I didn’t want to take any chances.
"She was drowsy and difficult to waken, no appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, pale in colour and a lot more upset than usual."
Jack had to have his leg amputated on the soap, and Aoife feared the worst when doctors confirmed her baby had sepsis, but medics soon told her it was "under control".
She added to Belfast Live: "I went into hysterics when I heard the word sepsis because I always thought there was no going back from that and that children always lost limbs.
"I was very overwhelmed as was her daddy. The doctor then explained quickly that they had got all under control and she was being treated.
"Never once did I ever associate sepsis with an infection in the body."
‘Corrie’ star Michael recently admitted he has been "surprised" by some of the real-life stories he’s heard about sepsis since taking on the storyline.
He said: "What the show does is well is it picks the right moments to shock, and when not to shock.
"We’re only playing pretend but to lots of families out there it’s real life.
"I was talking to a guy last week, Matthew. He and his wife went on honeymoon three years ago and both got a sore throat. His wife responded to the antibiotics, he ended up with five months in hospital, five months in a coma, five cardiac arrests, lost part of his legs.
"This is just from a sore throat on honeymoon.
"I was surprised how quick it [sepsis] can affect the body."
Corrie’s sepsis story saves real baby
