A man was paralyzed and left fighting for his life after accidentally eating undercooked chicken he was served while vacating in London.
As Brighton-based 31-year-old Richard Jackson explained, he developed mild food poisoning after ingesting undercooked meat.
His condition, however, quickly deteriorated after the food poisoning triggered Transverse Myelitis, a rare auto-immune disorder, that landed him in the ER.
“I developed mild food poisoning from under-cooked chicken which triggered a severe rare auto-immune condition leaving me paralyzed,” the man said, admitting he eventually couldn’t move his arms or swallow anymore.
“I was admitted to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester as I started having problems being able to walk. I quickly deteriorated and within 24 hours I was unable to use my arms or even swallow. I was delirious and drifting in and out of consciousness.
“At this point the doctors did not know what was happening but they knew they had to do something quickly.
“I was moved to intensive care, placed on a ventilator and effectively switched off in a coma for ten days to give myself the best chances of survival and give doctors the time to work out what was happening.”
As the medical experts found out, the 31-year-old’s spinal cord was under attack by his own immune system, resulting in paralysis.
After stabilizing Richard enough to remove his feeding tubes and the ventilator, the man was able to start with his recovery.
In the following three months, Richard went through rehabilitation, whereas the staff “taught me to sit, eat, speak clearly, transfer to wheelchairs by myself, stand brushing my teeth, get into cars from a wheelchair and greatest of all, to be able to walk again.”
While he is far away from his final goal, the man has praised the work done so far and the progress he’s achieved with the help of medical professionals.
“Although I haven’t made a full recovery and still have a lot of issues, I have everything to thank Donald Wilson for as I have recovered my mobility and a near normal quality of life,” he added.
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