I am Michael (b 1946) and retired after an international career with a large accounting firm. Nowadays, I am still involved in an NGO and the ESA (European Sepsis Alliance).
In early 2016, I had to undergo surgery to remove the rest of my colon, the first part of which was surgically removed in 1990 following colon cancer.
After the surgery, I developed a fever and my blood pressure was lowered. My wife questioned the slow response in the absence of the professor who was abroad. Meanwhile, I was already in septic shock and coma. After further follow-up treatment, which involved undergoing a second surgery and a permanent ileostoma was put in place. During the 3 weeks in intensive care, I had a CVA and cardiac arrest twice before my condition stabilised. After 2 months of work, I was transferred to a specialised rehabilitation centre, Inkendaal. I was almost completely immobile and was also officially declared disabled due to an ileostoma, half-sided blindness, impaired balance, permanent problems with 1 finger and toes and memory loss. I was further treated at Inkendaal until January 2017, first inpatient for 4 months and then outpatient 3 days a week.
Today, 4 years after my septic shock I have recovered to the extent that I can swim 500m regularly and walk 10km with Nordic sticks. I still drive 20000 km by car per year and regularly work up to 5 hours in our garden. I was forced to quit as executive director of an NGO but have since resumed some duties. My recovery is largely due to Inkendaal's excellent rehabilitation programme. I am involved in the ESA's Patient and Family Support group. As there is no national sepsis patients and survivors group in Belgium, the Flemish sepsis patients group Sepsibel was established.
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