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22nd February 2023
12:52pm GMT
David had severe food poisoning, which compromised his immune system (SWNS)[/caption]
He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, caused when the immune system is low.
David was in hospital for two and a half months (SWNS)[/caption]
A week later he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare and serious condition which can lead to life-long problems.
It happens when a weakened immune system starts to attack its own nerve cells, damaging them.
David was admitted to hospital in early January 2017 and put into intensive care after his breathing became compromised.
The father of two daughters, Elise, now seven, and Eva, three, said: "I was worried about my breathing, I could tell I wasn't breathing strongly.
"I was never fully paralysed, I still had some movement in my hips but not enough to even roll over in bed with."
He remembers not even being able to watch football properly, as the nerve damage had affected his eyes and ability to focus them.
His wife Kirsty was at home with their 18-month-old baby girl Elise, who didn't recognise him in the hospital bed.
David said: "I remember my wife putting her on me when I was lying in bed.
"Elise very clearly didn't want to be there. It was upsetting, certainly odd."
When David was released from hospital two and a half months later he was still using crutches and walking sticks to move around and installed grab rails around their new house.
He said: "It does make you think about food and the knock-on effect.
"It was a year of my life that it affected. My eating habits haven’t really changed, but it does make you think."
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David has made a miraculous recovery and plans to run the London Marathon this year (SWNS)[/caption]
He has since made a miraculous recovery with no sign of any lasting side effects. His recovery has been so good that he is now preparing to run his first marathon after the incident.
He said: "It makes you think a little bit more about life and focus on the now.
"I've been doing that more recently. I've taken more time off work and being ill was definitely a contributing factor in that.
"With the marathon I'm raising money for the John Muir Trust.
"I've been worrying about the future more recently and the money raised will go to protecting our forests."
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