I was paralysed by a chicken curry
A GYM-MAD father of two told yesterday how he was paralysed from the face down by a rare immune disorder triggered by a chicken curry.
David Braham, 40, was left fighting for his life within days of consuming the dodgy meal.
Medics discovered he was suffering from food poisoning which caused the rare autoimmune disorder GuillainBarre Syndrome.
He was left paralysed from the face down, unable to talk, and ended up on a ventilator for four months.
Eight months after eating the Chinese chicken curry, he can finally walk on his own and has been allowed home for a short visit.
Driving instructor David, from Bridgend, South Wales, said: “I felt fine until I had the chicken curry.
“I just picked it up as a quick meal whilst a pupil was taking their test.
“That night I felt a bit dodgy and I got really ill over the weekend.
“Before I knew it, I was locked in my own body. It was absolutely terrifying... it was the thought of my kids that kept me going. I wondered if there would ever be a way out. All I want to do is play with my kids and be a dad again.”
David felt ill while he watched his seven-year-old son play rugby last April.
He thought it was due to a meal from a roadside cafe.
But his condition deteriorated and he was taken to Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, four days after tucking into the curry.
Tingling
He was initially treated with antibiotics and sent home after a six-day hospital stay.
But the next day, a tingling feeling started to spread through his body.
Within 24 hours he “couldn’t move muscle” and was taken back to hospital.
It was then that medics discovered he had been suffering from food poisoning which caused Guillain-Barre Syndrome in which the immune system attacks nerve
afunctions. David, who is separated, was placed in an induced coma for four weeks and put on a ventilator for four months.
In September, he began rehabilitation and he took his first steps last month.
David said: “It was like being a baby and having to learn how to do simple things again.
“My mind knew how to do everything but my body wouldn’t respond.”
He was able to visit home and spend time with his children for the first time last week.
He now has his sights set on sitting at the dinner table on Christmas Day, surrounded by his loved ones.
David, who also has a daughter, aged four, said: “To see my kids open their Christmas presents will be the most special feeling ever.” His old routine would see him take on five or six gym sessions every week. The weight-lifting enthusiast is now looking forward to getting back in the gym and work next year.
But he expects to remain in rehab until at least March.