A 64-year-old man from Surrey was given just hours to live after a roast chicken dinner in a pub led to life-threatening sepsis. Udhyam Amin, from Kingswood, has since made what his family called a "miracle" recovery and is back at work.
Rapid decline after pub meal
Mr Amin went to A&E with suspected food poisoning in February after eating a roast chicken dinner at a pub. Doctors at St Helier Hospital in south London told him he was infected with the bacteria campylobacter.
He was soon rushed to the resuscitation room, where his blood pH fell dangerously low and he suffered a cardiac arrest. Placed on a ventilator in intensive care, medics warned his family he had developed sepsis and might only have hours to live.
Family's ordeal and recovery
His daughter Parisha Bains, a surgical registrar at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We were told he had gone into sepsis and multi-organ failure. Most of his critical organs had shut down. But he made it through the night and that wasn't expected."
Ms Bains added: "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."
Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK. It causes sickness, diarrhoea, tummy pain and fever, with symptoms beginning within a few hours or days of eating infected food. It usually gets better with rest and fluid replacement, but can lead to sepsis in rare cases.
Back to work and fundraising
After spending a little over two weeks in an induced coma, Mr Amin is now well and back working. The former subpostmaster turned businessman has learned to walk and speak clearly again.
"His kidneys started to work again and he was gradually weaned off his blood pressure support medication, and from then things improved," Ms Bains explained. "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."
"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," she added. "Now he is back to work seven days a week and enjoying his life again."
The family have launched a fundraiser for Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity to support the intensive care unit, with £37,000 raised so far. Mr Amin is also sharing his story to raise awareness ahead of World Sepsis Day on September 13.
"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," he said. "Their skill and commitment saved my life, and I will be forever grateful. I cannot thank them enough for giving me a second chance."
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."
She added: "Their generosity will help us enhance the environment, equipment and support available to patients and their loved ones when they need it most."
