Stephen's altered life following Sepsis

Dear family and friends,

We are asking for support during what has been an exceptionally difficult time for our father, Stephen Hughes.

People who know Stephen would describe him as a gentle giant, and one of the most kind, unselfish, friendly people you could meet, who always goes out of his way to help others. However, to his family, he is a lot more than that. He is a loving, committed, and loyal husband to Paula, having been married for over 30 years. He is also an inspirational father to his 3 children, Luke, Jourdan, and Connah, and an incredibly fun grandfather to 2 energetic girls (who safe to say adore their Grumpy).

Stephen was hospitalised in March 2022 with gallstones and aggressive stomach inflammation. This led to pancreatitis corroding a hole in the duodenum which caused a significant bleed into his gut. This worrying bleed was too much for the Royal Glamorgan Hospital to manage and as such he was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales. We were informed as a family by the doctors that Stephen would be unlikely to survive this journey. But, to everyone’s surprise, he persevered following one of many blood transfusions.

Stephen was rushed to the ICU as a patient in a critical condition. The doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to stop the bleeding and consequently removed his gall bladder and placed stents along his arteries. Although these operations were successful, Stephen’s journey was far from over…. Whilst recovering, Stephen caught Sepsis from the feeding tube, and his health rapidly deteriorated.

This was particularly difficult for his body to fight as it was extremely weak from his prior operations and 6 months of hospitalisation. We as a family were informed of the unlikeliness of his survival as this life-threatening response to infection was causing his organs to shut down and fail. As a result, Stephen’s body put itself into a coma to help fight the disease. In order to survive, his body prioritised sending blood to his vital organs which resulted in his outer limbs being deprived of blood and oxygen. Sadly, this meant that both his legs and left hand had to be amputated.

Although grateful to have survived, these life-altering injuries have meant that Stephen’s terrace home is no longer fit to adhere to his new requirements as a triple amputee.

Many loved ones have reached out seeking ways to help. Your contributions made today, no matter how small will help make Stephen’s new life more manageable. Thank you for any assistance you are willing to give. We all really appreciate it.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen’s children; Luke, Jourdan, and Connah