Udhyam Amin suffered cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure after contracting a common strain of chicken food poisoning in a pub.
Udhyam Amin, 64, from Surrey, was left with life-threatening sepsis after suffering from food poisoning during a fried chicken dinner. (Image: Family Handout/PA Wire)
A man was given just hours to live after a roast dinner left him with sepsis.
Udhyam Amin’s recovery was called a miracle by his family, who described him as “a cat with nine lives.” A 64-year-old man from Kingswood in Surrey went to A&E in February with suspected food poisoning after eating a fried chicken dinner at a pub.
Doctors at St Helier Hospital in south London told him he was infected with Campylobacter bacteria.
Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.
Amin was soon rushed to intensive care, where the pH of his blood dropped to dangerously low levels and he went into cardiac arrest. He was placed on a ventilator in intensive care and doctors warned his family that he had developed sepsis and may have only hours to live.
Mr Amin’s daughter Parisa Baines, a surgical registrar at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We were told he had developed sepsis and multiple organ failure. Most of his critical organs had shut down. But he survived the night, which was not expected.”
Ms Baines added: “It felt like our world was falling apart. Nothing prepares you to hear 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 nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever, and symptoms begin hours to days after eating contaminated food.
It usually gets better when patients rest and replace fluids, but in rare cases it can lead to sepsis. After spending just over two weeks in an induced coma, Mr Amin is now healthy and working again.
The former deputy postmaster turned businessman learned to walk and speak clearly again.
“His kidneys started working again and he was gradually weaned off his blood pressure medication and things have improved since then,” Ms Baines explained. “It is 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 his taxes filed,” she added. “He’s now back to work seven days a week and enjoying life again.”
The family have now started fundraising 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 of World Sepsis Day, which is celebrated on 13 September.
“Words cannot express my gratitude for the exceptional care, compassion and dedication that the medical teams showed me during the most difficult time of my life,” he said. “Their skill and dedication saved my life and I will be forever grateful. I can’t 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 extremely grateful to the Udyam family for turning their gratitude into action by raising funds to support St Helier.”
She added: “Their generosity will help us improve the environment, facilities and support available to patients and their loved ones when they need it most.”