A bodybuilder has revealed he nearly died of sepsis after his ‘shoulder clicked’ and his wife and seven-year-old son were told to say goodbye.
Mark Oakes, 51, who lives in Essex, a former professional bodybuilder and karate black belt, was cleaning the windows of his house in the summer of 2022 when he felt his shoulder snap.
A few hours later, he couldn’t move his arm and went to bed early, feverish and shivering.
After a trip to the ER, Mr Oakes was sent home with painkillers to await surgery, but his condition worsened and after testing his blood oxygen levels, which were far too low, he returned to the hospital.
Doctors put Mr Oakes to sleep in order to drain his shoulder, but while he was unconscious his liver and kidneys began to fail and 15 hours later he woke up in intensive care – where he would spend the following 10 days. His wife Heather and son Lincoln had to say goodbye.
Mark Oakes, 51, a former professional bodybuilder and karate black belt, was cleaning the windows of his house in the summer of 2022 when he felt his shoulder snap.
After a trip to the ER, Mr Oakes was sent home with painkillers to await surgery, but his condition worsened and after testing his blood oxygen levels, which were far too low, he returned to the hospital.
Doctors put Mr Oakes (pictured with his son Lincoln) to sleep in order to drain his shoulder, but while he was unconscious his liver and kidneys began to fail and 15 hours later he woke up in intensive care – where he would spend the next 10 days.
While awaiting the operation, Mr Oakes spent a week on painkillers, becoming constipated and struggling to sleep and breathe properly.
Eventually, he tested the oxygen levels in his blood using Heather’s Apple Watch. It was 68 percent, well below the healthy average of 95 to 100 percent.
Mr Oakes returned to hospital and was given a general anesthetic so doctors could drain his shoulder. But while he was unconscious, his liver and kidneys began to fail and his lungs began to fill with fluid.
He woke up 15 hours later to find a respirator on his face. “I looked like Bane,” he says.
Over the next ten days he was admitted to intensive care and his condition worsened before it improved.
Mr Oakes, a non-smoker and non-drinker, said: “Intensive care is a tough place for a patient. You can’t do much. yourself – you’re bedridden, you have all these drugs.
Mr Oakes’ wife Heather and seven-year-old son Lincoln (all pictured together) had to say goodbye as his condition deteriorated
While awaiting the operation, Mr Oakes spent a week on painkillers, becoming constipated and struggling to sleep and breathe properly.
“There are alarms ringing all the time because everyone there is really bad. You are quite often bothered by tests and increased medications.
After three days, her doctor told Heather to bring their son, Lincoln, to say goodbye.
Mr Oakes said: “Heather was convinced that everything would be fine in the end – she sees me as strong and a fighter. She worked exceptionally hard to keep Lincoln’s life as normal as possible, while visiting me. She has undoubtedly had the hardest journey of all of us.
Eventually, Mr Oakes recovered, although the shoulder problems persisted, along with the fatigue and lack of concentration caused by the illness.
He now works with Sepsis Research FEAT, a UK-based charity that not only wants to raise awareness about sepsis, but also funds vital medical research into understanding and treating this life-threatening condition.
In the UK, 245,000 people are affected by sepsis and at least 48,000 people die each year from sepsis-related illnesses. In the United States, nearly 270,000 people lose their lives each year.
The karate black belt eventually recovered, although the shoulder problems persisted, along with the fatigue and lack of concentration caused by the illness.
September is Sepsis Awareness Month and to mark the occasion, the charity is launching a research survey that will determine priorities for sepsis research over the next decade, inviting those who have seen their lives impacted by sepsis to participate and make their voices heard.
Since an operation in early August at a bone infection unit in Oxford, Mr Oakes has again been carried in a sling but now believes he has made a full recovery.
He said: “I really feel like this is going to be the end now. I feel like the infection is gone.
Colin Graham, Chief Operating Officer at Sepsis Research FEAT, said: “Sepsis is the number one preventable cause of death worldwide and often has life-changing consequences for those who survive.
“Our aim as a charity is to raise funds for sepsis research and to raise awareness of this brutal and often fatal disease. Sepsis Awareness Month helps us do this by making more people aware of the symptoms of sepsis so they can recognize them early and act quickly to get treatment.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity for those who have been affected by sepsis to have their voices heard and help shape the direction of sepsis research for the future.”
