Dad nearly dies from sepsis he caught in India

By James Gamble

A dad thought he had the "world's worst chesty cough," which turned out to be sepsis that nearly killed him.

David Ross was in India in March last year when he began suffering continuous coughing fits on his flight back to London.

The 37-year-old - whose partner was 36 weeks pregnant at the time - was rushed into the emergency room with septic shock, brought on by pneumonia in both lungs, soon after he arrived back home.

Despite being given just a 20 percent chance of survival, Ross thankfully fought off his illness and has made an incredible recovery.

Ross was back in the Whittington Hospital, near his home in north London, just a few weeks later for the birth of his son, Ari.

He's now gearing up to run the London Marathon next month to raise money for the health service that saved his life.

Ross explained that, days after returning from his trip to India, he still thought he just had a really bad cold.

But when he began coughing up and urinating blood, he thought he'd better seek treatment.

After being diagnosed with life-threatening septic shock and pneumonia, he was told he had 'zero' chance of survival unless he was immediately sedated and placed on a ventilator.

He says medical staff were dumbfounded to see him back, telling him they hadn't expected him to survive at all - let alone that he'd walk back in to collect his son just weeks later.

"You see people dying of septic shock all the time, so I'm very lucky," Ross explained.

"I was in India for work. I started to get ill on Wednesday, with what I thought was a cold. I just had a glass of water and went to bed early.

"On Friday, I flew back to London. It was starting to go to my chest. It felt like the worst chesty cough... It wasn't ideal for other passengers.

"By Saturday, I was coughing relentlessly, but I still thought it was a cold or a chesty cough.

"I took some pain relievers and went to bed early again. I was continuously sweating...

"On the Sunday morning, I was like, 'I need to go to the doctor'. I managed to get an appointment for that evening.

"By Sunday lunchtime, I was coughing up and peeing blood."

When Ross's brother-in-law, a doctor, saw the state he was in, he told him he needed urgent treatment.

The ailing commercial director just about managed to limp the ten minutes from his home to the Whittington Hospital.

"I felt like I was fading away," he said. "All of my senses were slowly dimming.

"I had thought I was just really sick, but I was dying and didn't realize it.

"Even at the emergency room, I was still thinking I had the worst cold in the world."

After being fast-tracked for urgent treatment at the Whittington, doctors asked Ross for his permission to intubate him.

"I asked them what my survival odds were," he said. "The doctor told me they were 60/40.

"I was like, 'What the hell? That's a lot worse than I thought'.

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"Then I asked what the survival odds would be if I wasn't intubated. He said: 'Zero. You will die'.

"My partner was told there was a 50 percent chance I would die that evening.

"If you go into septic shock, if it's bad, you're dead within 18 hours unless you are treated.

"My partner was 37 weeks pregnant and being told by doctors: 'If he makes it out of this, he's going to be in a really bad way for a while'.

"It was a motivating factor, knowing I was going to be a parent for the first time."

Ross was placed on a ventilator and, despite aggressive treatment, his condition continued to deteriorate overnight.

Three days later, he finally woke up in intensive care - alive, but facing a lengthy recovery.

His lungs were functioning at just 20 percent capacity, and he required a prolonged stay in hospital before he was well enough to return home.

But, unbelievably, just a week and a half after leaving the hospital, Ross returned to the Whittington for the birth of his baby boy, Ari.

Ross said he spoke to one Argentine nurse upon his return, who couldn't believe he was still alive.

"Sergio didn't even recognize me," he said. "He was absolutely shocked.

"He said: 'I thought you were going to die. I never thought I would see you again, let alone that you would walk back in a week and a half later'."

As part of his recovery, Ross took to running to build his strength.

Now, a year on from his near-death experience, he's set to run the London Marathon at the end of April, raising funds to support the hospital that saved his life.

"I want to give something beyond a box of chocolates," Ross continued.

"They saved my life and I want to show them that I'm appreciative of what they did for me.

"I was really lucky with the quality of care I got.

"You hear terrible stories about the health service and, obviously, there are issues, but the care I got was outstanding.

"I was never a runner before or anything. I just did it to try and get moving and growing stronger."

Ross says it's also important for him to show his son Ari, now 11 months old, that you can turn 'bad stuff into good stuff'.

Selina Douglas, Chief Executive of Whittington Health NHS Trust, praised Ross's 'deeply inspiring' story.

“David’s story is a powerful reminder of the incredible endurance and resilience within our community," she said.

"Seeing patients not only recover but go on to achieve something as extraordinary as running a marathon is deeply inspiring.

"We are immensely proud of David and grateful that he has chosen to give back in this way."

David’s fundraising efforts will support Whittington Health Charity, the official charity of Whittington Health.

The Charity raises funds to enhance patient care, improve hospital environments, and support staff wellbeing across the Trust.