A MUM who suffered sepsis five times after giving birth has been nominated for an award celebrating her support for those who saved her life.

Holly Shafiq, 27, was diagnosed with meningitis after giving birth to her daughter and suffered five bouts of septicaemia in the following months. In the three years since battling the traumatic illnesses, which left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, Ms Shafiq has used her experiences to thank the health care professionals who saved her.

Ms Shafiq established The Phlebotomy Centre, based in Over Hulton, providing an online community to practising and aspiring phlebotomists — practitioners who collect blood for testing, among other uses.

The system, giving support to this branch of medicine, caught the attention of former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, who voiced his praise for the idea. The business has also been nominated for an Enterprise Vision Award, with the results to be announced next week.