Dad's shoulder clicking turns into silent killer as family told to say goodbye

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Mark Oakes was left fighting for his life after getting sepsis (Image: EssexLive)
Mark Oakes was left fighting for his life after getting sepsis (Image: EssexLive)

A former bodybuilder who nearly died from sepsis has warned anyone, no matter who fit you are, can feel the full force of the condition after his family were told to say their final farewells.

Mark Oakes, 51, didn't drink or smoke and was a keen mountain biker and black belt in karate when the illness took that all away. Things were so serious that his wife Heather was told to bring their seven-year-old boy to hospital to say goodbye to his dad, EssexLive reports.

Mark, from Essex, said: “I consider myself to be somewhat informed about this sort of thing but I knew nothing about sepsis. I had this perception that sepsis was something found in people who have had things like tattoos in less than hygienic places, or someone who had had a hideous bite in a tropical country.

“I also thought it would be easily treated. What I didn’t know was that it killed about 50,000 out of 250,000 people affected in the UK each year. I didn’t know that people die of sepsis every hour. I didn’t know that it is the biggest killer globally.”

Dad's shoulder clicking turns into silent killer as family told to say goodbye qhiukiqriuqinvThe 51-year-old's son and wife were told they should say their goodbyes (EssexLive)

The drama unfolded in the summer of 2022 when Mark went to A&E after his shoulder made a clicking sound after he attempted to clean the windows at his home. Despite originally knocking it off as a minor age-related problem, the night before he was unable to move his arm at all and made his way to bed where he was "feverish and shivering".

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When he got to hospital, specialists thought he may need surgery, but after a week on pain medication, struggling to sleep and breathing problems, he had his oxygen levels in his blood tested. It revealed he was 68% lower than that of a healthy average of 95 to 100%. When he returned to hospital he was put under general anaesthetic so doctors could drain his shoulder.

It was then, when he was unconscious and being worked on, Mark's liver and kidneys began to fail and his lungs started to fill up with liquid.

Dad's shoulder clicking turns into silent killer as family told to say goodbyeMark spent a horrendous few days in hospital and still suffers with fatigue after his release (EssexLive)

Speaking about the daunting experience, Mark said: “Intensive care is a tough place to be as a patient. There is very little that you can do for. yourself - you’re bedbound, you have got all this medication.

“There are alarms going off all the time because everyone else there is really poorly. You get disturbed quite often by tests and more medication.”

After a grim three day experience, Heather was told to bring their son, Lincoln, in to say his farewells as things weren't looking like they were going to improve.

Mark added: “Heather was confident I would be alright in the end though - she views me as strong and a fighter. She worked exceptionally hard to keep Lincoln’s life as normal as possible, as well as visiting me. She has had the hardest journey of all of us, without a doubt.”

Since his recovery, Mark now works with Sepsis Research FEAT, a UK-based charity which raises awareness and vital funds for medical research.

Dad's shoulder clicking turns into silent killer as family told to say goodbyeMark didn't drink or smoke and was a black belt in karate when he became ill (EssexLive)
Dad's shoulder clicking turns into silent killer as family told to say goodbyeThe former bodybuilder went to hospital after his shoulder started clicking (EssexLive)

Colin Graham, chief operating officer at Sepsis Research FEAT, said: “Sepsis is the number one cause of preventable death in the world and often has life-changing consequences for those that survive.

“Our purposes as a charity are to raise funds for research into sepsis and to raise awareness of this brutal and often life-threatening condition. Sepsis Awareness Month helps us do that by educating more people about the symptoms of sepsis so they can recognise them quickly and act fast to get treatment.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity for those who have been affected by sepsis to make their voices heard and to contribute to the direction of sepsis research for the future."

Mum-of-six from losing fingers and toes after doctor said 'go back to bed'Mum-of-six from losing fingers and toes after doctor said 'go back to bed'

Sean McPolin

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