On Tuesday 7th January 2020, Dave Cram (who many of you will know as ‘Kenny’) and his family and friends’ world was rocked. Kenny had been suffering from some cold symptoms and general feeling of being unwell. On Sunday 5th January, he had played a game of football in a Sunday league match for the Saddle pub in Blackpool and sustained a minor injury, which he assumed to be a strained groin muscle. He complained that evening about how sore his groin was and took himself off to bed. The following morning he and his wife, Keeley, rushed to the walk-in centre where he had excruciating leg pain and flu-like symptoms and he was given some strong painkillers and sent home. Less than 24 hours later, after being unable to sleep due to agonising pain, he was taken to A&E at Blackpool Vic by ambulance. There they were told the devastating news that he had an infection, and it was SEPSIS, and he was attached to an antibiotic drip.

After 5/6 hours in A&E, an anaesthetist from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) saw him struggling in the waiting room area and whisked him straight through to the ICU where he was placed in an induced coma and taken in for immediate surgery to open his leg to relieve some pressure and clean out the infection from the sepsis in his left thigh. We now know from his blood test results that his cold symptoms were caused by the throat infection ‘Strep A’ and it was this infection that had developed into sepsis. His sepsis levels were so high (10.5, whereas a non-infected person’s level is less than 1) that his chances of making it through the next day weren’t guaranteed. Sepsis travels around the body incredibly fast and can kill in 12 hours. The antibiotics needed to kick in and Kenny needed to begin the fight of his life! And fight he did – on the Weds night his heart rate dropped dangerously low but Kenny fought back. Over those next few days his family and friends were round his bedside constantly and were told that it had got to the stage of septic shock, his kidneys were failing and he was put on two dialysis (extremely rare to be on two). His liver was showing signs of damage too and he developed compartment syndrome where his thigh muscle swelled and cut off the blood supply to the rest of his body, causing the leg to start to die.

On Monday 13th January, doctors brought him round from the induced coma, but he had been left so physically weak that during the night on Tuesday 14th January he suffered a cardiac arrest and then suffered two more cardiac arrests that day. Sepsis had left him with multi-organ failure even though the infection had now been treated, and the threat that the sepsis could return at any time. After further attempts to clean the infection and dead tissue out of his leg, on Thursday 16th January – 11 days after first straining his muscle and on what was Kenny’s 40th birthday when he should have been out celebrating with his family and friends - it was decided that his leg was too badly damaged and had to be amputated. The dead tissue in his leg was now poisoning the rest of his body and would kill him. His family had to make the decision for him to undergo a life-saving hip disarticulation surgery to remove his entire left leg; a surgery that he might not survive… but Kenny pulled through...

Since then, his infection markers are remarkably improved, but he still remains in a critical condition, very weak and compromised with a very long road to recovery ahead of him. Since the surgery he has suffered two more cardiac arrests, but Kenny has battled through with the love and support of his family and friends and the amazing care of all the medical staff in the ICU. We’re praying for these small daily improvements but with his next operation booked in for Tuesday 21st January and possibly more to follow over the next few weeks including maybe having a temporary pacemaker fitted, he’s going to be in the ICU for months.

Before this happened, Kenny was a fit and healthy 39 year old who had an active job delivering packages for DPD and running round after his 5-year old daughter, Robyn Ava, who he adores. He’s loved football since he was a small child and played regular Sunday League football. He is a HUGE football fan who supports Chelsea FC and loves going to the pub to watch the games with his mates.

Everyone who knows Kenny, knows how determined and strong he is and he will fight with all his strength to survive this, to watch his daughter grow up. The daughter that he and Keeley battled through years of IVF treatment to have; he wants to hold them both in his arms again and to grow old with his amazing wife Keeley, who has been his rock through all of this, along with his brothers, Lee and Ste, and his mum and dad. We need everyone’s love and support to make this happen and we really hope you will help us raise some money for Kenny and his family. Whether that be to spend on adaptations to his home when he recovers, to put towards the best prosthetic leg that money can buy or to help them cover their bills as Kenny is self-employed. Any donation, however big or small, would be greatly appreciated.

We are holding a fundraising event with a raffle and auction, on Saturday 7 March at the Matthews Suite that Blackpool Football Club are kindly allowing us to use, so any donations of raffle prizes or contributions from businesses would be greatly received, including anything to use at the event itself.

If you live in the Fylde Coast area you can drop off larger items at the Clarence Pub on Preston New Road, Blackpool and Love Faith Hope Boutique on Red Bank Road in Bispham (they have kindly agreed to look after them ahead of the event) or for items that can be posted e.g. vouchers, cards etc, please email lauraharvie100@gmail.com to find out where to send or drop them. We also have drop off points for raffle prizes and cards in the Ribble Valley area for the incredible community there who are supporting DPD Dave. These are: 'Precious at Whalley' and 'Hansel & Gretel' in Whalley, the Post Office and Sanwitches Cafe in Sabden, Emily Corner Health & Fitness in Brockhall Village and 'The Cafe by the River' (Old Coal Staithe, Read) and Gareth's Florist (Queen Street) in Great Harwood.

Thank you to everyone who has so kindly donated so far, who has been to visit him or sent messages of support and to his work, DPD, who have been absolutely AMAZING, along with his work colleagues and customers.

Please also help us to raise awareness about sepsis, which is quickly becoming the fastest killer worldwide, overtaking cancer. Read and share this link – be aware of the symptoms and seek medical advice if you’re worried you have these symptoms - it could certainly save yours or someone else’s life: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis

Find out more about compartment syndrome: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/compartment-syndrome/ If you suspect you or a loved one have any of these symptoms, seek medical advice straight away.