Mark's story of hope for World Sepsis Day

A grandfather who spent four weeks in a coma after contracting sepsis said he is lucky to be alive.

Mark Wignall collapsed on the bathroom floor at his home in Ashford and ended up spending six weeks in the town’s William Harvey Hospital.

Medics discovered he had Legionnaires Disease, a severe form of pneumonia, and the infection triggered sepsis, a condition that can be fatal if not treated quickly

Mark’s wife Jeni was told four times that his body was overwhelmed by the infection and he was unlikely to survive the night.

He said: “I count myself very lucky. I remember collapsing on the floor, and arriving in hospital, then nothing until they brought me back out of the coma.

“I missed my 60th birthday and when I came round I couldn’t speak – I could only communicate by pointing at letters on a board to spell out words.

“I had to learn to swallow again; I had lost movement in my tongue because all your muscles deteriorate when you are on a ventilator.”

Mark, a retired retail manager, had never heard of sepsis before he was diagnosed, but had all the classic signs including a high temperature, confusion, and feeling the most unwell he had ever felt.

He said: “I do think there should be more awareness of the symptoms, but I was lucky in that I was in hospital within only 40 minutes of collapsing at home.

“It all happened so quickly; the medical teams identified I had sepsis before they knew what had caused it.”

Mark fell ill during the Covid pandemic, and Jeni was initially unable to visit until it was confirmed he did not have the virus.

She said: “Even then I could only see him for an hour, every other day, and only if I wore full personal protective equipment.

“My mother was in the next ward on end-of-life care but I wasn’t able to see her. She did pull through but died a couple of months later. It was definitely our annus horribilis, as the late Queen once said!

“The staff told me they had never seen someone so ill survive. They were all absolutely wonderful and would call me if he even made the slightest bit of progress, like moving his finger.

“It was very difficult to see him lying there with every tube and bit of equipment you can think of. But I never let myself think he was actually going to die, and we thank our lucky stars he came out of it relatively unscathed.

“He is an incredible symbol of hope for others.”

Mark needed extensive physiotherapy as well as speech and language therapy, but five years on is largely back to full health.

He volunteers at the Kent and East Sussex Railway, and is a loyal member of the East Kent critical care follow-up and rehabilitation support group. The group meets monthly and is one part of the support for people recovering from critical illness. Members share experiences and offer emotional, informational, and practical support to each other.

Mark, who with Jeni has four children and four grandchildren, said: “The group was marvellous and such a support.

“When I first started the physiotherapy exercises were so difficult, but they gradually became easier.

“I do still get tired if I have had a very physical day, and sometimes my speech is slurred as my tongue is still weak.

“But volunteering on the railway is wonderful for me as I love steam trains and it forces me to speak to people.

“I always encourage people to look at the little advances they are making – if you put in the effort you will get better.”

Saturday, September 13 is World Sepsis Day. You can find out more about the symptoms of sepsis at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/