Elin Rantatalo amputated her legs and fingers

Four years ago, Elin Rantatalo, 35, suffered a severe infection.
She survived against all odds, but lost both her legs and nine of her fingers.
– A lot of people said that I wouldn’t make it, says Elin.

It was on the way to a sun holiday in Gran Canaria four years ago that life turned upside down for Elin Rantatalo. She fell into septic shock, the most serious stage of sepsis. It was so-called group A streptococcus, also known as killer bacteria, which caused a life-threatening infection.

– That’s when it becomes a danger to life, you can say that the bacteria get out into the blood and start a civil war in the body, she says.

Elin was sedated in a hospital in Spain for around five or six days. Then her husband was told that she would not survive the night. She describes it as her “second birthday”.

– Then it looked really bad. The body went into high gear and I did not respond to the treatment as they had intended.

Around two weeks later, Elin was taken to a Swedish hospital. There she was told that she had to amputate her legs and fingers. A message that, incredibly, was received with relief.

– It was a sadness. But I saw what they looked like and it was so obvious that I would never be able to get from the hospital to my family again if I had to take my feet with me. They were beyond saving and I decided early on that I would be a cheerleader for my new legs instead.

Thanks to the family

Today Elin feels well. Of course, the whole family was affected by what happened, but now everyday life goes on in full swing.

– There are activities, dinner lists to be written and so on. These are the everyday activities I missed when I was in the hospital.

She continues:

– For our children, I am like any other robot mother. It’s nothing strange. Everything is normal with us nowadays.

Elin herself describes the four years that have passed as exciting, and she thanks her husband and children for their support.

– They have been a huge driving force in this.

On the other hand, she initially found it difficult not to be able to continue working as a hairdresser.

– It was a great sadness for me to lose my fingers. As a hairdresser, you identify yourself as your profession. I didn’t even have a job or a workplace to come back to.

Hopeful for the future

Now Elin has released a biography in which she describes life after the accident in more detail. Something she decided on early on. In addition to writing, she lectures on disabilities and works with social media to tackle prejudice against people with prostheses.

– There is a lot that has changed. Just this fact that I get to inspire people the way I do is not something I had thought about before. I’ve become a little tougher than I was before.

And she looks to the future with hope.

– I have become much better at managing and creating my life after this has happened and being able to relive life with new eyes.