From golf greens to ICU: crayfish manager survives near-death battle with sepsis

Hamish and Abi Douglas are making every moment count after Hamish recovered from sepsis which caused his vital organs to start shutting down. Picture supplied

Crayfish manager Hamish Douglas is known to many in Tairāwhiti, especially in golfing circles from his many years as a  greenkeeper at Poverty Bay Golf Club.

What many don’t know is that last month, sepsis nearly took his life.

Husband and father-of-two Hamish ,47, had a clean bill of health, was an active golfer, and had recently run a marathon. He had never spent a night in hospital.

“I came home one day and was feeling a bit off. There was cold going around work so I thought I had the flu,” he said.

His wife Abi, a registered nurse, finally convinced him to take the day off his work at Gisborne Fisheries.

“Like most men, he just wants to just take a few paracetamol, an ibuprofen and get on with it,” said Abi.

“This was different though — he couldn’t even finish a beer with his mates watching the All Blacks game. I could feel this wasn’t your normal flu or Covid.”

On the third day of fever, Hamish collapsed in the shower. He couldn’t move and his fingers and toes were turning black.

Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It had taken over and Hamish’s natural defences had lost the battle. His body was shutting down.

“We went straight to the emergency department and within an hour he was raced up to the Intensive Care Unit. He was incoherent,” Abi said.

“He went into septic shock — his kidneys and heart failing.”

The last thing Hamish remembers was a nurse saying ‘you are very sick Hamish’.

“I remember thinking, no I’m not, I’ve just got a bad flu,” he said.

Hamish can’t remember anything that happened over next two days in the ICU, as his life hung in the balance.

But Abi remembers.

“There was a time I was taking a nap in an ICU La-Z-Boy and woke up to the medical team standing over him shouting at him to wake up. They were squeezing an oxygen ambubag to keep him breathing.

“I froze in fear.”

Thanks to the excellent care provided by the Gisborne Hospital team, Hamish’s condition stabilised and he is now on the slow road to recovery. His heart is enlarged and his toes and fingers are black and peeling.

“I’m just happy to still be here and with my family and friends, to see Jacob and Mollie (his children) grow up and to continue my journey with Abi,” he said.

“I no longer take life for granted — things like spending time on the golf course”

“I  also want to urge others to listen to their body when something isn’t right and go to the doctor to catch it early.

“Also, if you have a persistent fever, weakness, high heart rate or shortness of breath, ask your doctor if it could be sepsis.

“Straight up. ask them ‘Could this be sepsis?’”

World Sepsis day is Wednesday 13 September. Around the world, sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals. New Zealand has more than 10,000 cases of sepsis every year and more than 1600 deaths, but many people have never heard of it.

See www.sepsis.org.nz to learn more.