Udhyam Amin went to the emergency room with food poisoning after eating the meal from a pub, but was in the ICU with sepsis and multi-organ failure hours later

A man in the U.K. is raising money for the ICU that helped save his life after food poisoning from a roast chicken dinner left him with multi-organ failure.

Udhyam Amin, a 64-year-old from Kingswood, about 15 miles south of London, became unwell after eating the meal at a pub, according to a release from the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

He went to the emergency room at St Helier Hospital and was diagnosed with Campylobacter, a common cause of food poisoning.

But doctors realized that the businessman was more unwell than he appeared and rushed him into a resuscitation room, where his blood pH became dangerously low, per the release.

Though he was still conscious and talking to his family, he soon went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated. He was taken to the ICU and placed on a ventilator, and his family was told he had developed sepsis and was the “sickest patient in the hospital,” potentially with only “hours to live.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, sepsis is a reaction to an infection that involves the immune system harming healthy tissues and organs. It’s life-threatening and requires urgent treatment.

Among the most common symptoms are a fast heart rate, low blood pressure, fever, chills, a rash, confusion and extreme pain or discomfort.

Sepsis from food poisoning is rare, though most common in people who are older, have weakened immune systems or have other medical conditions, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Amin’s daughter, Parisha Bains, who works as a surgical registrar at the NHS Trust, explained, via the release, “We were told he had gone into sepsis and multi-organ failure. Most of his critical organs had shut down.”

“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,” his daughter added.

However, Amin surprised medics by making it through the night, and Bains paid tribute to the medical staff who cared for him and his family at such a difficult time.

“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,” she said, per the release.

Her father spent over two weeks in an induced coma but gradually recovered, something she described as “nothing short of a miracle,” joking, “he’s like a cat with nine lives.”

Though Amin — who is sharing his story for World Sepsis Day, which took place on Sunday, Sept. 13 — had to learn how to walk again, speak clearly and rebuild his strength, he is now back home with his family and back to work.

His family has launched a JustGiving fundraiser for Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity, in support of the ICU that saved his life, to thank the staff who cared for him.

“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,” Amin said, per the release.

“Their skill and commitment saved my life, and I will be forever grateful. I cannot thank them enough for giving me a second chance,” he added.

Source: https://people.com/man-left-with-multi-organ-failure-after-food-poisoning-from-chicken-dinner-12122270