“I died of sepsis and looked down on my body as doctors brought me back to life”

Slav Wojcik’s bladder, kidneys and stomach all stopped working but things were soon to get worse as his heart stopped beating twice but somehow he made it after doctors performed a heroic rescue

A father on the brink of death claims he saw himself outside his body before being brought back to life after his heart stopped twice.

Staffordshire personal trainer Slav Wojcik became seriously ill after developing severe sepsis.

He had just finished work when he started shaking and feeling dizzy, so the 42-year-old went back to bed as his condition worsened.

But the Manchester evening news report that he could not sleep off its symptoms

When he started throwing up last May, his concerned wife called an ambulance and was taken to the hospital, where doctors made a deadly discovery. When the sepsis set in, his lungs began to fail and his heart stopped beating – twice.

He explained: “My bladder, kidney and stomach stopped working. Next I was in critical condition in an isolation room hooked up to many machines – then the fight for my life began.

“My blood pressure was so low that they had to save me and bring me back to life.

“The first 48 hours are a blur – I had all these flashbacks. My heart stopped and started again and it happened twice in a matter of hours. It felt like in a movie.

“At one point I had an experience where I was out of my body and could see myself on the bed talking to myself. It was like going in and out of different dimensions.

“I tried to listen to what (the doctors) would tell me as much as possible, I kept calm. I made peace with the situation and was ready. If I die I will achieve so much and live the life I wanted.”

After three days in the ICU, Slav’s swollen body began to return to normal, although he was still unable to move. The infection led to heart failure, which caused an irregular heartbeat.

It took six weeks for Slav’s heart rate to return to normal – something he describes as the “biggest day” of his life. “Even lying down, it was consistently fast,” he said.

“It was an irregular rhythm; It was terrible. Before that I was very active and very busy, as a personal trainer I trained 30 hours a week.

“Not being able to move after this busy life would disable and depress me. I can’t explain it – even talking about it now gives me goosebumps.

“I was so close to giving up. I’ve had counselors and people who have spoken to me about PTSD but nothing has worked. One day I thought, ‘Okay, that’s enough of the whining and sadness and depression. I have to start doing something about it.

“It started with walks, I would go for a 10 minute walk and come back panicked because I didn’t know what was going to happen the next day or if my heart was going to hurt. I took it one day at a time.”

Miraculously, Slav of Stafford recovered and even finished the Manchester Marathon in April. “The Manchester marathon was actually the first marathon event I’ve ever done and so, out of sentimentality, I wanted to come back to do it again,” he said.

“It is possible as long as we want something. We can achieve a lot, not just fitness. It is the same in everyday life. If you want something, you will find a way.”