A Scots mum who beat a flesh-eating bug believes she has been given a "second chance at life" after becoming a nurse.
Ashley Sneddon was rushed to critical care in March 2020 after contracting necrotising fasciitis - a rare and life-threatening infection that develops quickly and can cause disfigurement, sometimes requiring amputation of affected areas.
The 32-year-old from Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, spent three weeks in hospital, and says the NHS saved her life. She said: "My recovery was fairly fast, but I do feel I was given a second chance at life and my illness left me looking at what I wanted to do with my future."
After her recovery, the single mum-of-one took the leap to leave at her job at Iceland and pursued a career in nursing.
She completed an access course at college and then studied nursing at university, reports Glasgow Live.
Now newly-qualified, Ashley has joined the Spinal Injuries Unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
After working in retail for so long, and then following her illness, Ashley said she is "so proud" to have succeeded in becoming a nurse.
"I'd wanted to be a nurse, but I thought that after so many years out of education I wouldn't be able to manage it.
"But there's always a way - and if anyone else feels they want to achieve something great with their life, all I'd say is, if you really want it and give it your all, everyone can achieve their dream."
Ashley is one of a number of newly qualified nurses who joined the National Spinal Injuries Unit this year, and Lead Nurse Helena Richmond said: "On behalf of everyone at the unit, I would like to welcome Ashley, and all our newly qualified nurses.
"Nursing is a wonderful profession, and I'll look forward to working with them all and supporting them through this exciting early part of their careers.
"From my short time with them so far, this year's intake seem a fantastic bunch. The learning opportunities here are immense and I have every confidence that they'll quickly become highly valued members of the Spinal Injuries team."
Earlier this month, in a separate incident, we reported a man was stuck in hospital for months after he developed a rare 'flesh-eating' bacterial infection upon being 'stabbed in the head with a key' in Glasgow city centre.
On July 12, Jack Byrne, who is originally from Birkenhead, had been on Glasgow's Hope Street at around 9.10pm when an alleged dispute led to him being 'stabbed' in the head with a key.
The 32-year-old hadn't thought much of the wound until a few days later when he started to lose his balance and his face began to swell up.
Jack was placed in a coma for weeks while doctors battled to contain necrotising fasciitis, also known as the "flesh-eating disease", which had infected his face. The rare, life-threatening and fast-spreading infection releases toxins that cause human tissue to die.
Jack has since undergone multiple surgeries to keep him alive. While surgeons were able to save his eyes, he has been left with only 20 percent vision in one.
His last major surgery saw him go under the knife for more than 13 hours, with surgeons taking muscle from his back and stitching it to his face. He says he has been left covered in scars from repeated skin grafts - not all of which have been successful.