A dad-of-two has told how his life was saved by his crying toddler daughter who woke him up moments before he collapsed from deadly sepsis.
Karl Goodere-Dale, 36, was just minutes from death when two-year-old Rosa raised him from his slumber because she needed a feed.
But as the school teacher got out of bed to tend to his daughter, his wife Sarah noticed him looking disorientated before he suddenly passed out.
Paramedics rushed to the couple’s home in Beeston, Notts., before taking him to the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham.
Doctors found Karl had contracted sepsis, a deadly infection that without urgent treatment can lead to multiple organ failure, and battled to save his life .
He spent seven weeks in hospital after suffering a collapsed lung but has since made a full recovery from his ordeal.
Karl said if little Rosa had not woken him in the middle of the night he would have continued sleeping and died from the infection.
He added: “If Rosa hadn’t woken me up for a feed I probably wouldn’t be here.
“I was told I was only 10-15 minutes away from dying – which is quite surreal really.
“I knew something was wrong by the way I was being monitored. I was thinking ‘this is it, this is serious – my family are going to be without me’.
“I was worried about leaving my children and them growing up on their own.
“I remember asking the doctor to not let me die. He said they were doing all they could to make sure that didn’t happen.
“It was suggested I might have to be put in a coma in order to let my body have a chance to recover.
“What was going through my mind at the time was I wouldn’t see my wife and young family again.”
Karl, who is also father to Noah, four, first thought he was suffering from a cold when he started getting flu-like symptoms in February.
He said his experience has shown him how dangerous sepsis is and how important it is that signs were spotted.
Karl still suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder, triggered by the sound of ambulance sirens.
He has since returned to QMC to launch a campaign that warns patients about the signs of the potentially fatal infection.
Karl added: “Information does need to be given out to both patients and relatives.
“It is important that people understand it and are aware of what it is.
“I went through a real rollercoaster of emotions.
“I was bringing up blood, my temperature was all over the place, my blood pressure had dropped, my heart rate had rocketed – all those sorts of signs.
“I was glad that I was alive and grateful for the help I had and the swift way I was treated because without that I am certain I wouldn’t’ be here right now.
“Thanks to the team it means I can see my children grow up.”
Sally Wood, sepsis lead nurse for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The Trust has come a long way during the last ten years and that is due to hard work and dedication across the board.
“It means we have some of the best outcomes for sepsis patients in the country and that means that people like Karl are able to go home to their families which is what we all want to see.
“Karl’s experience led us to develop the new leaflet and we hope it will raise awareness and help save lives.”
