Our History - Ashley's Story

In 2001, aged just 35, Ashley was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Ashley's wife Lisa was 12 weeks pregnant with their first son Monty at the time. Whilst Ashley was receiving chemotherapy he collapsed with pneumonia and days later, he caught MRSA from a healthcare worker, as a result of poor hand hygiene.

Ashley contracted MRSA whilst being treated with medication he required through a line fitted directly into his chest. On the day Ashley caught this life-threatening blood infection, he recalls
“The ward seemed under staffed and everyone was rushing around. All I remember is a nurse came across to treat me and connected my line to my medication. Although I didn’t give it much thought at the time, she was not wearing any gloves, nor did she wash her hands. It was not long before I started to feel very sick, very quickly.”

Some time after, Ashley collapsed with Rigors. Ashley’s wife Lisa explains “This was the most frightening moment for all of us. Ashley was shaking violently, one minute he was burning up and the next he was so cold we could not get enough blankets on him to keep him warm.”

In the arms of his Mum Margaret, Ashley started to drift away. Margaret, a nurse of 30 years recalls “Ashley looked at both myself and Lisa and said I need to make my peace with god now Mum I think I am going to die.”

Thankfully Ashley pulled through this near-death experience and survived. He is the first to point out “I do not blame anyone. I have given this a lot of thought and whilst I was making my peace with god, I begged to be given a second chance so I could make a difference.”

When Ashley fully recovered, he started developing The Max Guide to Hand Hygiene with Basildon University Hospital and the regional innovation hub Health Innovations East. The Max4Health animation was produced under licence from the Department of Health and Basildon University Hospital and in 2005, the screensaver was given to every NHS Trust across the country.

Ashley says "The NHS saved my life and for that I am entirely grateful. I got to see my first son Monty born and at Christmas 2007 my second son Teddy arrived – two of the happiest moments of my life. I truly believe I have been given a second chance and for that, I will work as hard as I possibly can to promote health and wellbeing through Max4Health. If I can stop just one person from becoming as seriously Ill as I did, or even save someone's life then it will all be worth the effort. The NHS belongs to all of us and we should all share in making it great.”