Father thanks hospital for sepsis treatment

Craig Myall, from Dover, had a series of complications that required nine separate operations

A father who spent nearly five months in hospital after developing sepsis has praised the medical staff who saved his life.

Craig Myall, from Dover in Kent, was rushed to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford in January with severe stomach pains, where doctors discovered an intestinal infection, and 800ml of pus from around his bowel was removed.

The infection triggered sepsis, a condition that can be life-threatening if not treated quickly, and he was placed in a medically induced coma.

Mr Myall, 36, had "a series of complications" that required nine separate operations, and he now lives with a stoma and ileostomy, he said.

Despite the experience, he said he will be "forever grateful" that the care he received allowed him to return home to his two daughters.

"I had heard of sepsis, but I didn't really understand what it was, and I never thought it would happen to me," he said.

"Thanks to the hospital staff, I was able to come home and enjoy time with my children again."

'Couldn't get my words out'

Mr Myall spent 18 days in a coma and more than six weeks in critical care before being transferred to King's B ward for recovery. He was discharged at the end of May.

When he left the hospital, he needed to use a wheelchair and struggled with speech and memory, he said.

"I had to learn to do a lot again, including walking. At first, I couldn't get my words out and I was very forgetful," he added.

"Essentially, I missed five months of my children's lives."

East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust said that Mr Myall faced further surgery, but that he hoped to return to work as a forklift truck driver before the end of the year.