A caravan cleaner who was ‘so active before’ has been left using a Zimmer frame aged 33 after catching a bacterial stomach bug.
Dad-of-two Karl Morgan, 33, can no longer walk or talk after his ordeal, which meant he had to be put in an induced coma and on a ventilator.
He is still in hospital recovering, and although doctors managed to save his life, they still don’t know when – or even if – he will be able to be discharged.
His mum Debbie Fisher, 60, who he lives with, said: ‘You just can’t imagine what it’s like – we have been there every single day sat at the side of him.’
Kyle’s illness began when he suddenly started vomiting with a 40C temperature.
He went to the doctor but his symptoms were dismissed until he later started struggling to breathe and hallucinating.
His mum called 111, and doctors then discovered he had a bacterial bug infection which had developed into sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, a serious lung condition.
Karl, of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, was placed in an induced coma and on a ventilator and Debbie was told by doctors that he might not survive.
He pulled through, but Debbie said: ‘He’s still poorly now – he can’t walk so the physio is trying to get his limbs moving.
‘The doctors said that even though they are here to get him home, they can’t guarantee that would happen.
‘He’s got a zimmer frame – can you imagine how he’s feeling at 33-years-old, with a zimmer frame?
‘He was so active before.’
In the future, he may need a pacemaker or even a heart transplant.
Debbie says he is desperate to get back to his work as a self-employed caravan cleaner.
She said: ‘He just wants to get back to work, that’s not going to happen as he can’t even stand.
‘He’s always been a window cleaner but now he’s set up a business cleaning caravans.
‘He’s never claimed benefits in his life, he’s always done something. He was doing brilliantly but he will have to rebuild that.’
Debbie has now set up a GoFundMe page, as she’s trying to raise money for a caravan on the same site as her for Karl to live when he’s allowed to come out of hospital.
She said Karl, who is ‘technically homeless’, has been sleeping in the awning of her caravan, but this would be ‘impossible for all of us’ during the winter.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
