A dad who was hours from death with what doctors called "the worst case of sepsis they'd seen in a long time" has joined his daughters at the end of a special charity walk.
Andy Simpson spent 10 weeks in Intensive Care and underwent four surgeries to remove infected tissue, after being initially rushed into hospital with a tooth abscess that turned into a serious case of sepsis.
As a result of the infection, Andy suffered severe facial nerve damage and required a tracheostomy, leaving him unable to eat, drink or speak.
In October, Andy moved to Ward 35 at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) for rehabilitation, with daily physiotherapy to help him sit and stand and eventually walk again.
Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection which happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body's own tissues and organs.
After the care given to Andy at the RLI, his daughters Amy Merckel and Hannah Simpson decided to trek the Yorkshire Three Peaks, raising nearly £3,000 for Bay Hospitals Charity.
They were joined by family members and friends for the hike over Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent in April, and Andy was able to join them at the finish.
Amy said: “Last August our Dad was rushed to hospital with a tooth abscess that had turned into a serious case of sepsis.
“Within a couple of hours of being admitted to hospital, Dad was undergoing emergency surgery to save his life.
“Consultants said this was the worst case of sepsis they’d seen in a long time, and left any longer (just a couple of hours), then Dad wouldn’t have made it.
“We took on this challenge to say thank you to the amazing teams that work for our NHS. The teams on both ICU and Ward 35 have not only cared for and supported Dad, but for our family too. They are amazing, and this is our way of saying thank you.
“We started with an original target of raising £1,000 but the response was phenomenal and we smashed the target within a couple of weeks.
“The donations continued to flood in and we finished with a total of £2,895. We didn’t think in a million years we’d raise such an incredible amount of money, but we were so grateful for everyone’s generosity.”
Amy started planning the hike in January, but later discovered she was pregnant. After discussions with her GP and midwife she was given the all-clear to go ahead with the challenge while four months into her pregnancy.
She said: “The cherry on the cake was reaching the end of the walk and seeing that Dad had come to meet us at the finish line.”
Bay Hospitals Charity funds the latest equipment for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust to help make patients more comfortable and ensure they get the best possible care and treatment.
Funds raised by Amy and Hannah will be split between the hospital’s intensive care unit and Ward 35, to be used as required to support staff and patient care.
Suzanne Lofthouse, Head of Charities and Fundraising, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to Amy, Hannah and all of their family and friends for making such an amazing contribution to our charity.
“Their story is such an important reminder of why we do what we do at Bay Hospitals Charity.
“Andy is still with us thanks to the care and dedication of the incredible teams at the RLI. It may be all in a day’s work for them, but Amy and Hannah have shown just how much the staff at UHMBT (University Hospitals Morecambe Bay Trust) are appreciated and loved.”
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