I broke down daily over wife’s mystery illness & gathered kids at hospital bedside to say goodbye, says Warwick Davis
SAT next to the empty hospital bed, Warwick Davis broke down in tears as fear pulsed through his body.
The Tenable star’s wife of 21 years, Sam, was on death’s door after her mystery illness was diagnosed as the life-threatening infection sepsis.
Moments before she was rushed in for emergency surgery, Warwick, 52, tried to stay upbeat but feared he was saying goodbye.
He told The Sun: “The next few hours were the longest of my life as I waited on the ward with our children in the empty space left by Sam’s hospital bed.
“I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her.”
Mum-of-two Sam’s health dramatically declined ahead of a 2019 family caravan holiday.
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She’d put it down to over-exerting herself while preparing for the trip, but when her symptoms went from itchiness and exhaustion to being unable to stand, Warwick called an out-of-hours doctor.
“By now, Sam was feeling absolutely terrible,” he recalled. “She was becoming drowsy, weak and hadn’t been to the toilet in over 24 hours.
“Fortunately for us, our doctor recognised Sam’s symptoms and told us to head to A&E immediately with a suspected case of sepsis.”
The infection causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive and attack tissues and organs, which can be lethal and lead to amputations.
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Nearly 250,000 Brits are diagnosed with sepsis every year, of which 48,000 die and 40 per cent are left with life-altering disabilities and symptoms.
Once in hospital, doctors became concerned about a scar on Sam’s back from a recent spinal surgery that was “inflamed with fluid, red, and hot to touch”.
Samples of the fluid found deadly A Streptococcus bacteria and meningitis infection – and the family were told “Sam could die” if the infection wasn’t treated immediately.
Warwick explained: “Our family gathered by her bedside; although optimistic, we were sort of saying goodbye in case Sam didn’t survive.”
It’s so hard to see someone you love more than anything in the world fighting to stay alive… Doctors told me the infection had ravaged every cell in her body
Warwick Davis
The surgery was a success but Warwick was told the subsequent hours in intensive care were “vital” while Sam was pumped with strong antibiotics.
Warwick said: “It’s so hard to see someone you love more than anything in the world fighting to stay alive without the strength to even roll over in bed.
“Doctors told me the infection had ravaged every cell in her body causing depletion to vital vitamin and mineral levels.”
Close call
Sam pulled through but it was a close call. Had it not been for her medical team acting so quickly, she could have lost fingers, toes or even limbs.
After being discharged, Warwick “played doctor” for three months – mixing vials of antibiotics, loading them into syringes and carefully feeding them into Sam’s heart through a drip.
During this time, he consulted with Dr Ron Daniels from The UK Sepsis Trust about how best to aid his wife’s recovery and took solace in their words of support.
Warwick admitted: “I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me.
I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me
Warwick Davis
“To this day Sam still feels the effects of sepsis and some PTSD from her experience. If I’m completely honest, I do too.
“We never take life for granted now, living each day as if it were our last.
“I appreciate and cherish every moment that Sam and I spend together.”
Warwick was born with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, an extremely rare genetic form of dwarfism.
Sam, 51, has achondroplasia and their two children Annabelle, 25, and Harrison, 19, also have the same form of dwarfism as he does.
Warwick and Sam also had a son, Lloyd, who inherited both their conditions and sadly died after nine days. The couple also had a stillborn baby called George.
Raising awareness
What are the signs of sepsis you should never ignore?
If you, a loved one, or in the case of medical professionals their patient, feels “severely sick”, doesn’t appear to be themselves and shows any of the following symptoms, sepsis should be suspected:
- Weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Fever and chills
- Thirst
- Difficult or rapid breathing
- Rapid heart rate
- Low blood pressure
- Low urine output
If a person is suffering these symptoms and they are thought to have suffered an infection – pneumonia, abdominal infection, urinary infection, or a wound – sepsis is a likely cause.
Warwick recently joined forces with The UK Sepsis Trust to mark their 10th anniversary of working with UK breakdown company Green Flag.
In chilling videos, the actor narrates the difficult stories of families, survivors and sufferers who have battled the deadly infection.
Ron Daniels from The UK Sepsis Trust said: “The key to saving lives from sepsis lies in communication – in raising awareness and empowering people to access healthcare quickly.
“With support from Green Flag, we are physically bringing to life stories of the people we try our best to help daily, which is something truly special.
“We want people to understand how sepsis can impact anyone and everyone, and with the help of Green Flag, we are able to shine a light on these individuals and give them a voice that they have never had before.
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“Everyone knows someone affected by sepsis – now it’s time to empower everyone to act.”
Mark Newberry from Green Flag added: “The sooner you detect sepsis the better chance you have of making a full recovery.”
Shocking set explosion during Tenable filming
WARWICK Davis was 11 years old when he landed his first acting gig in Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi.
He was picked by George Lucas to play Ewok Wicket after Kenny Baker, who was previously cast in the role, fell ill.
Warwick continued to appear in the Star Wars franchise and bagged roles in Harry Potter, the Leprechaun films, Willow, and Ricky Gervais’ Life’s Too short.
He is the highest-grossing supporting actor of all time, reportedly worth £8million ($10m) – however, fans may be surprised to discover his most treasured appearance.
“Tenable is my favourite job – and I’ve been in Star Wars!” Warwick told The Sun.
“I love presenting the show and am surrounded by the best production and technical team in the business.”
However, it wasn’t all fun and game (shows) for the star back in 2019 when filming came to an abrupt halt.
“We record at Pinewood Studios next to the world famous 007 Stage and a few years ago, the Bond production had a special effects explosion mishap,” he recalled.
“There was a very loud bang which shook the studio and resulted in the partial destruction of the building.
“It made me jump and stopped me mid-flow, just as I was about to deliver one of my classic Tenable puns.
“It was much to the amusement of the contestants and producer, who laughed in my earpiece.
“Gasps and nervous laughter followed, which is the usual response to my jokes, to be honest. I’m just glad Tenable isn’t live TV!”