Star Wars actor, comedian and filmmaker Warwick Davis has played a host of high profile film roles but nothing could prepare him for the personal ordeal he faced when his wife Sam was rushed to hospital. She was facing a life-threatening condition that "came out of nowhere".
The Harry Potter and ITV Tenable star admitted that he didn't know if the mother of their two children, Annabelle, 25, and Harrison, 19, would make it. Saying she was so ill he told their children to 'say goodbye' to her.
Wife Sam was diagnosed with sepsis after saying she was felling drowsy and being rushed to hospital. The Mirror reported that doctors then became concerned about a scar on her back from a spinal surgery that was “inflamed with fluid, red, and hot to touch”.
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Samples of the fluid found A Streptococcus bacteria and a meningitis infection. The family were told “Sam could die” if she didn't have surgery immediately. NHS says: "Sepsis is life threatening. It can be hard to spot."
Recalling the harrowing experience, Warwick said: "Our family gathered by her bedside; although optimistic, we were sort of saying goodbye in case Sam didn’t survive," reported The Sun.
Luckily, following her operation and time spent in intensive care, Sam pulled through, but the actor admitted had it not been for her treatment, she could have lost fingers, toes or even limbs. He added: “I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me."
Warwick is now raising awareness of sepsis, highlighting people's experiences in a video for UK Sepsis Trust. The Trust explained: "Sepsis (also known as blood poisoning) is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection or injury.
The actor and ITV quiz show host says Sam still has PTSD from her health battle, and is speaking out in a bid to raise awareness of the traumatic experience for their family. Normally our immune system fights infection – but sometimes, for reasons we don’t yet understand, it attacks our body’s own organs and tissues.
"If not treated immediately, sepsis can result in organ failure and death. Yet with early diagnosis, it can be treated with antibiotics."
The organisations website advices that Sepsis can initially look like flu, gastroenteritis or a chest infection. There is no one sign, and symptoms present differently between adults and children. Symptoms in adults can include slurred speech or confusion, extreme shivering or muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness, mottled or discoloured skin. Always seek medical assistance if you are worried.
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