Kath Tregenna

the Women of the Year Woman of Courage Award 2022 went to Kath Tregenna, presented by Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey. Kath has been a teacher for over 20 and is still teaching today, despite having parts of all four limbs amputated two years ago when she almost died of sepsis. After feeling ill one Friday afternoon in 2019, Kath suffered 11 cardiac arrests, multiple organ failures and had to be put into an induced coma. The police arrived at the family home to summon her husband and children to the hospital to say their goodbyes – the doctors said it would take a miracle for her to survive. Amazingly, one of the doctors remembered reading about a drug which had proved successful in improving the effectiveness of the antibiotics they were already using, and with nothing to lose it was administered. Kath slowly began to recover, but sepsis had wrought dreadful damage. Kath’s hands, feet and much of her legs were dying and only amputation could stop the infection spreading. In January 2020 both her hands were amputated above the wrist and two weeks later both her legs below the knee.

Adapting to her new normal was impossible to imagine – she envisaged never being able to walk or stand again unaided. Everything with her new prosthetic limbs was a challenge, especially her arms. However, her passion and skill for teaching remained, and the pandemic gave her a chance to re-connect via home schooling. Kath had read about UK tech company Open Bionics and their pioneering Hero Arms, which are much lighter than normal prosthetic arms and so clever they can pick up an egg or hold a wine glass. It’s a tribute to Kath’s popularity that her friends, colleagues and parents helped raise the money for the arms, and after intense practice she was able to visit her old school, where her pupils were desperate to see her bionic limbs!

Kath Tregenna said,

“I feel proud and honoured to have won the Woman of Courage award. Every day I feel lucky and extremely grateful to be alive, and a moment like this really does help show it’s possible to overcome challenges and turn adversity into something positive. I owe this award to the dedicated doctors and nurses who saved my life and the incredible medical staff who, step by step, taught me new skills. I’m incredibly lucky to live and work with people who embraced my disability. I’m grateful to the Women of the Year awards for highlighting my story and hope that it reflects the fact that when barriers in society are removed, women with disabilities can follow their passion and thrive.”