A father dubbed a "superhero" by his young daughter has revealed how a sickness he dismissed as a common cold led to a life-altering battle with sepsis and the amputation of both his legs.
A rapid decline from fever to fight for life
Mathew Hicks, from Turriff in Aberdeenshire, first felt unwell in March 2023, treating a fever with paracetamol. His condition deteriorated so rapidly that his wife, Rachael, was forced to call an ambulance.
He was rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where doctors delivered a terrifying diagnosis. Mathew was fighting a triple threat: sepsis, Strep A, and pneumonia in his right lung.
As his organs began to fail, medics made the desperate decision to place the then-36-year-old into an induced coma to save his life.
Waking to a devastating new reality
After two weeks in the coma, Mathew regained consciousness. The relief was short-lived. Consultants delivered the shattering news that due to a complete loss of circulation, both his legs would need to be amputated below the knee.
"I didn't really understand what was happening when I was told about my amputation because I hadn't seen my feet," Mathew told the Daily Record. "Once I did eventually see the grey colour they had gone I was completely shocked. Then I was desperate to have them removed."
For seven agonising weeks, his three-year-old daughter, Evie, could not visit him in hospital—a period his wife described as the toughest part of their ordeal.
A family's strength in the face of long-term challenges
Rachael recounted the moment doctors, in a "painfully honest" conversation, said they were using a last-resort ECMO machine—a life-support system that oxygenates blood externally—as Mathew's heart and lungs struggled.
"We sat in silence and disbelief," she said. While they were relieved he survived the critical phase, the amputation news followed. "Not for one minute did I think things would turn out this way."
After 12 weeks in hospital, Mathew finally returned home. The sepsis has left him with a heart condition, with his heart now operating at just 34% capacity. The long-term impact remains uncertain.
Despite the immense challenges ahead, the family's focus is on positivity and adaptation. "My outlook to life has definitely changed," Mathew said. "I plan to spend more time enjoying life and spending more time with my family."
His daughter Evie, a constant source of strength, now has a new name for her father: her superhero.
