A father who was hospitalized for a “slight temperature” ended up in a coma for six weeks and had to have an arm and a leg amputated.
After developing sepsis, which led to the failure of his liver, heart, and lungs, Junaid Ahmed of Ilford in east London was put into an induced coma.
The 35-year-old is now attempting to fund £100,000 for a robotic arm so he may once more embrace his wife and kids.
Junaid, a recruiter, went to A&E with what he thought might be the flu, but things quickly took a frightening turn when he passed out while waiting to be examined.
Six weeks after falling asleep, he awoke in intensive care and needed his left arm, right leg, and left toes amputated.
Junaid said: ‘I’d had a temperature for a couple of days and it wasn’t showing any sign of going away so I decided to go to my local A&E to get it checked out.
‘The last thing I remember is having something to eat with my wife as we waited to be see, apparently I passed out and the next thing I remember is waking up in hospital six weeks later.
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‘Waking up six weeks later was the biggest shock of my life. I was terrified and so confused.
‘Shortly after medics broke the news that to give me the best quality of life, I’d have to have my right calf, left forearm and left toes amputated.’
The married dad-of-two recalled telling medics to do ‘whatever they could’ as he was determined to stay alive.
‘I just wanted to live for my family, my kids and wife, I can’t wait to be able to hug them properly with my new arm and I’ve been so overwhelmed with the support so far with the fundraiser,’ he added.
What is sepsis?
- Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to an infection you already have that triggers a chain reaction throughout your body
- Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract
- Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death
- You cannot catch sepsis from another person
- Sepsis is sometimes called septicaemia or blood poisoning
He first began to experience issues in September 2021 when he began experience a tingling sensation in his right foot.
Junaid developed chronic back pain, and had a spinal cord stimulator inserted in May 2022.
However, it was just a month later when he ended up ‘blacking out’ at at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.
Two weeks later he was transferred to University College London Hospital, in Euston, to save his life.
Doctors believe he caught an infection, which led to sepsis, as a result of his spinal procedure months earlier.
He received a prosthetic leg in January 2023, and walked back into his home in Ilford where he was greeted by his family.
Junaid said: ‘I was determined to walk out of the physio centre for my wife and two children. My wife, Rabia, has been my rock throughout it all.
‘Life is different; my teeth have become my “left” forearm and I used my left armpit to use shampoo but I’m on the mend. Whilst it’s going to take me some time to get back on my bike, I am hopeful that it’ll be this year!
‘If I can get my bionic arm, I’ll be able to get back into the gym properly. I miss being active – it makes me the best version of myself for my wife and our kids.’
Junaid has started a GoFundMe to buy a bionic arm and so far has received £10,000 in donations.