A MUM has told how her instinct helped save her five-year-old son’s life as deadly sepsis took over his body overnight.

Leon Cairney was rushed to hospital after pain in his legs and head escalated quickly.

Now he’s recovered, eight-year-old dance-mad Leon is raising money for the charity that helped save his life.

He will dance for three hours straight next month to pull in donations for Glasgow Children’s Hospital.

Looking back to the day Leon fell ill, his mum Arlene told the Post: “I remember the day very clearly. I just thought it was a Monday morning feeling and got him up, dressed and off to school as normal.

“Around 11am I received a phone call from the school to say Leon had been sick and could he be collected; upon arriving I knew just by his look he was not well at all.

“I felt uneasy so telephoned the GP for a last minute appointment just to get him checked over.”

The doctors told Arlene that her five-year-old son was most likely suffering from a previous virus and he would need to rest up with pain relief medication.

But Arlene knew all was not well when she struggled to keep Leon awake.

The 31-year-old added: "I just felt something was not right.

“I had that instinct and, as always I lifted his pyjama top to check how hot he was, and I noticed a small purple mark beside his tummy button.

“It was smaller than a five pence piece, but I decided to phone NHS out of hours for advice.

“We both raced to the hospital and on arrival Leon was covered from head to toe in the purple septicaemia rash.

“It honestly develops and takes over the body before your very eyes.

“I was told that if I had put him to bed then he wouldn’t have been here today.

“The doctors did say that my quick thinking and gut instinct saved his life; that is a message I want to send to all parents out there.”

She added: “With minutes to spare he is very lucky to be here – and he is fully aware of that.”

Looking ahead to the sponsored dance next month, Arlene said: “He came up with the idea himself. He loves dancing and it is his absolute life. So together we came up with the idea of a sponsored dance.

“He would dance from morning until night if I let him so I think he will take it in his stride and it will be over before you know it.

“He is more focused on raising money for the charity, which he will either donate directly or use the money to buy much needed resources and gifts for the children for Christmas.”

Leon will be completing his dance-a-thon on Friday, September 24 at his dance school, Carrie’s Dance Company in Drumchapel.

To donate, search ‘Leon’s sponsored Dance-a-thon’ on GoFundMe.