Basildon mum's recovery after horror disease from gnat bite

Stay-at-home mum Jorja Austin, 40, was mowing her lawn at her Basildon home in 2009 when she was bit by a gnat.

WARNING: graphic images below

She had no idea 13 years later she would be fighting for her life after the four 'pinhole-sized' bites on her right leg never healed.

She was then forced to give up her two children to state care due to her continued ill health after contracting a rare skin condition.

• READ MORE: Mum faces losing BOTH legs after horror disease from gnat bite leaves her in coma

Pyoderma gangrenosum causes excruciating ulcers which were left untreated, leading Jorja to contract life-threatening sepsis in May this year.

She was then told she may need both her legs amputated in order to save her life.

The terrified mum has since made an incredible recovery after fearing for her life following the dangerous illness.

She will be able to enjoy Christmas at home this year after her open wounds began to heal for the first time.

The single mum told SWNS: "I've had no life and been in agony for 13 years. I lost both my little boys due to my bad health. It got out of control.

"You wouldn't believe that my legs were finally getting better.

"I'm so happy and over the moon after being so frustrated for so long."

The gnat bites 13 years ago gave her a wound which never fully healed, she thinks partly due to her low iron levels.

Her doctors told her the bites were "fine" but instead they just grew bigger and bigger.

When Jorja was in hospital in May (Image: SWNS)

The rare skin condition was diagnosed two years later and then migrated to her other leg, stopping her from working for over a decade.

Jorja said her recent recovery is entirely down to the dedicated work of the community nurses who have treated Jorja's ulcers every three days for months.

She said: "I was put into a coma in May after not being able to breathe from the sepsis.

"My family were told to say their goodbyes.

"Since I came out of hospital I've learnt to walk again and now one of the ulcers is 50 per cent healed."

She warns anyone with ongoing wounds to seek help so they don't go through what she did.

She said: "I didn't get the right help at the right time.

"You have to keep going back, again and again, to fight for the right treatment, or you'll end up nearly dead like me.

"Don't leave it to get as bad as I did."

Jorja has since enrolled in a flower arranging course in January and plans to spend a quiet Christmas with her sister Paige.

Jorja now hopes she will be able to have her boys, ages 13 and 17, back home again soon.