A father-of-three was given only hours to live after becoming critically ill following a roast chicken dinner at his local pub. Udhyam Amin, 64, from Kingswood, Surrey, was rushed to hospital with suspected food poisoning after falling ill post-meal in February. Medics later discovered he had contracted Campylobacter, a common source of food poisoning, which then escalated into sepsis and multi-organ failure.
Critical condition and cardiac arrest
Udhyam was still alert and conversing with family members upon arrival at St Helier Hospital in Sutton, South London, despite suffering from intense stomach pain. However, his blood pH had plummeted to perilously low levels, leading him to be swiftly taken into a resuscitation room. His condition then rapidly worsened, resulting in a cardiac arrest before he was moved to intensive care and put on a ventilator.
His family were warned that he was the most critically ill patient in the hospital, might not survive the transfer to intensive care, and could have only hours left to live. Udhyam's daughter, Parisha Bains, 33, remembered: "It felt like our world had fallen apart. Nothing prepares you for hearing that the person you love may not make it through the day. We were told he had gone into sepsis and multi-organ failure. Most of his critical organs had shut down. It's nothing short of a miracle that he is still with us. We laugh and joke that he's like a cat with nine lives."
Road to recovery
As his family braced themselves for the unthinkable, medical staff at St Helier battled around the clock to save his life. Parisha, a surgical registrar at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "They comforted us through endless uncertainty, answered every question with kindness, celebrated every tiny improvement with us and gave us hope when hope seemed impossible to find. But he made it through the night and that wasn't expected. One of the first things he asked us when he woke up was what date it was because he had to submit his tax returns!"
Udhyam remained in an induced coma for two weeks before embarking on a gruelling road to recovery. The former sub-postmaster turned entrepreneur faced the daunting task of relearning to walk, speak clearly and gradually regain the strength that had ebbed away. He has now returned to his loved ones and is working seven days a week once more.
Fundraiser for the ICU
Udhyam said: "Words cannot express my gratitude for the exceptional care, compassion and dedication the medical teams showed me during the most difficult time of my life. Their skill and commitment saved my life, and I will be forever grateful. I cannot thank them enough for giving me a second chance."
Staff nurse Pooja Rani, who helped care for Udhyam, said: "Udhyam was one of the sickest patients we cared for at that time, so seeing him make such a remarkable recovery and return home to his family is exactly why we do what we do. It was a privilege to be part of his journey, and we're all delighted to see him back enjoying life again."
Udhyam and his family have now initiated a fundraiser for Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity in aid of the intensive care unit that cared for him. Over £37,000 has already been collected, with the family hoping the funds will assist other critically ill patients and provide support for families enduring similarly challenging hospital stays. Molly Simpson, head of charity and fundraising at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity, said: "Udhyam's story is both remarkable and inspiring. We are enormously thankful to Udhyam's family for turning their gratitude into action by raising funds to support St Helier."
