Days after making an astonishing recovery from deadly Weil's disease, fundraiser Kate Hack is ready to smash a world record later this month. Mark Williams catches up with her
A RENOWNED city fundraiser has her sights firmly set on the future after making a miraculous recovery from a deadly disease.
Just a few days ago, fitness fanatic Katie Hack, 31, was fighting for her life in a hospital bed after being struck down by Weil's disease while competing in a charity triathlon in Hampshire.
The west Hull fitness fanatic, who has raised thousands of pounds for good causes, temporarily lost her speech and started hallucinating as her organs began to shut down. The illness also causes complications with the brain.
It is believed the rare disease is contracted by a bacterial infection carried in rat urine.
While in intensive care, doctors said if she had not been rushed into hospital when she was on June 14, she would have died.
At best they said she would take several months to recover and could have permanent scarring on her organs.
But just a week after being discharged from hospital, Kate is preparing not only to continue her impressive fundraising record by breaking a world record on July 12, but also for her wedding with beloved fiance Karl Brill next month.
She said: "People may think I am mad but I am very lucky to have recovered from the horrible illness I had and I now want to make the most of that and raise more money for charity.
"It was so very scary fighting for my life and you almost forget that you are supposed to be getting married in a matter of weeks.
"I am just so happy and grateful to have overcome this illness and now I can look forward to some big, exciting moments coming up in my life over the next few weeks.
"There are many more people out there that are less fortunate than me and don't get over things as quick, or at all, and I appreciate how lucky I have been."
Instead of throwing a party for her 30th birthday at the end of 2012, Kate launched Project 30 – a charity challenge in which she set herself the gruelling target of completing 30 events to raise £30,000 to share between 30 charities.
Last year, Kate powered her way through several marathons, an Ironman challenge and swam the Humber.
To date, she has raised £22,400.
She hopes to raise another £1,000 on July 12 when her aim is to get as many people as possible dressed as fairies in Princes Quay Shopping Centre.
Kate said: "I have already been out and about promoting the event at the centre so I just hope we can get as many people down at the centre and dressed as fairies as possible.
"It is very light-hearted and a bit different from the usual challenges, but I still need to recover from the illness."
Away from the blood, sweat and tears last year, Kate was proposed to by Karl, 13 years after they first met.
After she crossed the finish line of the Gruesome Twosome cross-country race in Lincoln last year, Karl popped the question.
"It was a shock, but a lovely one," said Kate.
"We are now getting married in August and we are really looking forward to it. Karl was the one who rushed me to hospital just in time.
"I owe a lot to him because it was by luck that he happened to be off work the weekend he rushed me in.
"I would have continued to lie on the sofa if he wasn't there."
Would you like to sponsor Kate? Email katehack.project30@gmail.com or visit www.justgiving.com/teams/Project30 to donate.Kate Hack's 30 challenges1. Gruesome Twosome (cross-country half-marathon) 2. Reverse Rudolf Romp (24-mile cross-country run) 3. Scarborough Rock (25-mile cross-country run) 4. The Gym challenge! 3x10 hours of gym classes5. Snake Lane 10 (10-mile road race) 6. East Hull 20 (20-mile road race) 7. Hessle Foreshore Bikini Run 8. Hornsea 1/3 marathon 9. Brighton Marathon 10. Heart of the Wolds sportive (136km cycle) 11. Sherriff 10km (10km road race) 12. Suffolk Sunrise sportive (100 mile cycle) 13. Driffield sprint triathlon 14. Outlaw Half (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, 13.1-mile run) 15. Great Grimsby Swim (5km swim in Grimsby Dock) 16. Humber Half Marathon 17. Humber swim (2-mile swim in the river Humber) 30/06/1318. Outlaw (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) 19. TR24 (24-hour cross-country team race. Ran 50km!)20. Nightride (Hull to York and back, 12 hours) 21. Hell on the Humber (60-mile run on the Humber Bridge 7pm–7am)22. Nessie Challenge (paddle-boarding 21 miles up Loch Ness) 23. Helvellyn Triathlon 24. Great North Run 25. Ipswich half-marathon 26. Skiathon and Glow swim 27. Gruesome Twosome … again (cross-country half-marathon) 28. Yorkshire Marathon 29. Helloween (32-mile run on the Humber Bridge in fancy dress) 30. Birthday run (30-mile run to the beach and 31-second sea swim)Dangerous disease causes the body's organs to shut down
ABOUT 40 people contract Weil's Disease every year in the UK – with one in four dying.
The rare condition is a severe form of leptospirosis.
The symptoms of the infection usually develop soon after exposure to the leptospira bacteria, found in rat urine.
The liver, kidneys, heart, lungs and brain can all be affected.
Once organs become affected, victims can suffer from jaundice, yellowing of the skin, loss of appetite, tiredness, shortness of breath, swollen ankles, feet or hands, weight loss, muscle aches, nausea, painful swelling in the liver, a decrease in the amount of urine passed, chest pain and rapid and irregular heartbeat.
If left untreated, the liver and kidneys may lose the ability to function.
The loss of kidney function is known as kidney failure and can be fatal.
When the brain is affected, this can lead to high temperature, changes in mental state, confusion and inability to speak or walk.
