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His daughter described the devastating moment the family learned the extent of his condition
A Surrey man came perilously close to death after a simple pub meal of roast chicken triggered a life-threatening case of sepsis.
Udhyam Amin, 64, from Kingswood, was rushed to the accident and emergency department at St Helier Hospital in February after falling critically ill.
Medical staff diagnosed him with a Campylobacter infection, which is the most frequently occurring cause of food poisoning across the UK.
Doctors warned his family that he might have mere hours left to live.
His daughter Parisha Bains, who works as a surgical registrar at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, described the devastating moment the family learned the extent of his condition.
She said: "We were told he had gone into sepsis and multi-organ failure.
"Most of his critical organs had shut down. But he made it through the night, and that wasn't expected."
Mr Amin's blood pH plummeted to dangerously low levels, triggering a cardiac arrest.
He was transferred to intensive care and placed on a ventilator as his condition deteriorated further.
Ms Bains added: "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."
Despite being given just hours to survive, Mr Amin spent slightly more than a fortnight in an induced coma before eventually pulling through.
Ms Bains recalled the turning point: "His kidneys started to work again and he was gradually weaned off his blood pressure support medication, and from then things improved."
His daughter added: "It's nothing short of a miracle that he is still with us. We laugh and joke that he's like a cat with nine lives."
Mr Amin has since recovered his ability to walk and speak clearly, and is back working seven days a week.
The family channelled their gratitude into a fundraising campaign for the Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity, specifically to benefit the intensive care unit.
Mr Amin decided to speak publicly about his ordeal to mark World Sepsis Day, which fell on Saturday.
He said: "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. Their skill and commitment saved my life, and I will be forever grateful. I cannot thank them enough for giving me a second chance."
Molly Simpson, the charity's head of fundraising, called Mr Amin's story "both remarkable and inspiring" and thanked the family for turning their appreciation into tangible support for St Helier.
She said: "We are enormously thankful to Udhyam’s family for turning their gratitude into action by raising funds to support St Helier."
