Paralympian 'almost used to death' after fighting deadly infection four times

A dressage Paralympic hero who clinched bronze in Paris 2024 has opened up about her harrowing journey, admitting she frequently felt she "was going to die" as she bravely battled life-threatening four times over just two years. Mari Durward-Akhurst, aged 31 and living with cerebral palsy from birth, discovered her zest for horse riding when she was merely three years old.

Despite the challenges, Mari's determination saw her climb the competitive dressage ranks and don the Great Britain colours in international contests, even after becoming permanently wheelchair-bound in 2019 due to a neurological ailment thought to be one-of-a-kind within the UK. The years 2023 and 2024 hurled relentless hurdles at her with repeated bouts of sepsis disrupting her rigorous training and leaving her grappling with fears of recurrent infections.

One of the scariest episodes occurred in the summer of 2023 when Mari developed urosepsis—a severe infection where bacteria invade the bloodstream through a UTI—leaving her with slurred speech and bouts of nausea and shakiness. Nonetheless, her indomitable spirit prevailed, allowing her continual practice sessions and ultimately culminating in her selection for the prestigious Paris 2024 Paralympics.

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Here she stunningly achieved sixth place individually and nabbed a coveted Grade 1 freestyle bronze medal.

Mari said: "I had the worry about getting sepsis the entire way leading up to Paris, and my home team and British Equestrian World Class Programme team of sports science practitioners around me, who are funded by UK Sport and The , were absolutely fantastic.

"We had a plan in place... so it put my mind at ease that everything would be OK. Once I was there, I could just concentrate on my performance but having that medal, considering everything I'd gone through to get there, made it even more remarkable.

"When I've had sepsis I thought I was going to die and I'm almost used to that feeling – it's not as scary now but I was terrified at the beginning."

Mari, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, was born with cerebral palsy and admitted she faced tough times at mainstream school where she was bullied for being different: "I used to get bullied quite a lot as I was different to the other children – I wasn't in a wheelchair then so they didn't understand why I got to miss PE and stuff."

Her passion for horses became her sanctuary; riding since she was three, Mari found strength and solace in the activity. It went from therapeutic riding to victory in her first RDA competition at 11 and qualification for the RDA National Championships within a year.

Chosen for the Hertfordshire Elite Athlete Support Programme by 2007, she represented Britain in junior international dressage, only for her health to take a downward turn at 18, affecting her mobility severely. At 25, Mari got diagnosed with a rare neurological condition that impacts all four limbs.

"The condition doesn't actually have a name because the gene is so rare – there's not thought to be anybody else in the UK with the same gene duplication," she explained. In that very year, Mari took to using a wheelchair full-time but didn't let this halt her passion for dressage, tailor-making her techniques to match her capabilities.

Describing how she overcame her physical limits, she detailed: "I can't use my legs at all, so I have two whips that act as my legs through very light taps on the horse's side. I use my seat, and my horses also respond to my voice. I struggle with grip, so someone hands me the reins once I am in the saddle."

The isolation of the pandemic didn't deter Mari's Paralympic dreams, with her determinedly training whenever possible. However, summer 2023 threw her a curveball when she began experiencing acute symptoms: feeling "really shaky", "completely out of it", and suffering from severe nausea that even impeded her ability to sit up or speak without slurring.

Alas, she was diagnosed with a dreaded case of urosepsis, which severely set back her recovery and her training schedule, much to her dismay.

During an October 2023 visit to her sister in America, a kidney-related sepsis struck, necessitating a halt to her training yet again. Though IV antibiotics brought her swift relief, the frustration was palpable, even as she expressed gratitude for improvement: "I was frustrated but was relieved I was on the mend."

Following her recovery, she gleamed with optimism. Nevertheless, catastrophe struck in March 2024, with another brutal encounter with sepsis, keeping her ambitions on hold once more.

"I just felt really dizzy, and I couldn't put together a sentence... I was really, really shaking," she recounted her harrowing experience. "It was traumatic, so I gave myself time to recover and didn't rush back to training. I was frustrated and worried it would keep happening."

Mari faced setbacks as she missed out on squad training and had to skip a media day with in the lead up to the Paralympics. "That was really hard – I thought my chances of Paris were over," she confessed.

Despite these hurdles, Mari made a stunning comeback in Belgium where she triumphed in multiple events. Her efforts paid off in July when she earned her place to represent Paralympics GB in Paris as one of the four para equestrian athletes.

"It was absolutely incredible. When we went to the venue at Chateau de Versailles, I had to pinch myself," Mari said. She felt a surge of pride after her first event: "Once I'd ridden my test on the first day, I was like 'I'm a Paralympian now and no one can ever away'."

Her achievements shone through as she secured sixth place in the individual dressage and snagged a bronze in freestyle. Overwhelmed with emotion, she remarked: "I was crying, it was completely unexpected. We didn't think I'd medal, so it was even more special."

The menace of sepsis struck Mari again in December 2024, raising suspicions of another kidney infection among doctors. "I got back to training quickly, but I don't feel like I'm back to where I was pre-August 2023," she admitted.

Throughout her recovery, Mari has leaned on support from the UK Sepsis Trust and a dedicated nurse named Emma. Furthermore, a new approach by her urologist involving a low sepsis threshold letter promises swifter care for future hospital admissions.

Mari shared her future aspirations, stating: "In September, it's the FEI Para Dressage European Championships – the aim is to get selected for those.

"The long-term goal is LA 2028. I'd really like to win a gold medal there. That would be the icing on the cake."