Father, 43, is paralysed and almost dies after eating chicken curry

Father-of-two, 43, tells how he was left paralysed and close to death when he developed an auto-immune disorder from food poisoning after eating a chicken bhuna

• David Miller, 43, contracted severe food poisoning after he ate a chicken Bhuna 
• The father then developed Guillian-Barré Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease

A super-fit father has told how he was paralysed and almost died after a curry triggered a rare disorder. 

David Miller, 43, was struck down after tucking into his normal chicken bhuna order from his favourite Indian takeaway in London. 

The father-of-two contracted severe food poisoning – which then led to him developing Guillian-Barré Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease. 

Web contractor David, an avid cyclist, was left in intensive care unable to breathe properly or walk and spent months in hospital recovering. 

He first fell ill in 2016 but has now chosen to speak about his miraculous six-year recovery – as he prepares to run his first marathon since the nightmare illness.

David Miller, 43, was paralysed and almost died after a curry led to him developing a rare auto-immune disease 

The father-of-two ate a chicken bhuna curry from an Indian takeaway but developed food  severe food poisoning 

‘It was pretty scary,’ said David. ‘Obviously we didn’t go back to that restaurant again.

‘It was a steep decline – I went from having tingling and pins and needles in my hands and feet to needing a wheelchair to get into hospital a week later.

‘Some people die from this syndrome. It works its way from the extremities through your core and can stop your breathing.

‘Imagine looking at your body and trying to make it move and it doesn’t.’

David, who now lives in Welbourn. Lincolnshire, suspects that it all stems from the food poisoning he thinks he caught from the chicken curry.

This lasted a week and led to David suffering from painful gastroenteritis for two months.

The food poisoning and following painful stomach bug meant his immune system was compromised, claimed David. 

He was just back at work in December having moved house from London to Lincoln that same month, when over Christmas the numbness and tingling started.

But the poisoning weakened his immune system and led to him developing Guillian-Barré Syndrome, a disorder which left him almost completely paralysed and needing hospital treatment in intensive care 

The father-of-two has since made a full recovery from his 2016 ordeal. He is pictured with his girls Eva, three (left) and Elise, seven (right)

A week later he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare and serious condition which can lead to life-long problems.

It happens when a weakened immune system starts to attack its own nerve cells, damaging them.

David was admitted to hospital in early January 2017 and put into intensive care after his breathing became compromised.

The 43-year-old – who has two daughters, Elise, now seven, and Eva, three – said: ‘I was worried about my breathing, I could tell I wasn’t breathing strongly.

‘I was never fully paralysed, I still had some movement in my hips but not enough to even roll over in bed with.’

He remembers not even being able to watch football properly, as the nerve damage had affected his eyes and ability to focus them.

His wife Kirsty was at home with their 18-month-old baby girl Elise, who didn’t recognise him in the hospital bed.

David said: ‘I remember my wife putting her on me when I was lying in bed.

‘Elise very clearly didn’t want to be there. It was upsetting, certainly odd.’

The illness took its toll on David, with the father claiming his oldest child Elise (pictured) did not recognise him when she visited him in his hospital bed 

It took months for the  web contractor and avid cyclist to recover. He is pictured in hospital 

Now the fitness-loving father is set to run his first marathon since contracting his illness. He is raising cash for environmental charity the John Muir Trust

When David was released from hospital two and a half months later he was still using crutches and walking sticks to move around and installed grab rails around their new house.

He said: ‘It does make you think about food and the knock-on effect.

‘It was a year of my life that it affected. My eating habits haven’t really changed, but it does make you think.’

He has since made a full recovery with no sign of any lasting side effects and is using his returned physical abilities to run the London marathon this April.

He said: ‘It makes you think a little bit more about life and focus on the now.

‘I’ve been doing that more recently. I’ve taken more time off work and being ill was definitely a contributing factor in that.

‘With the marathon I’m raising money for the John Muir Trust.

‘I’ve been worrying about the future more recently and the money raised will go to protecting our forests.’

To donate to David’s effort, click here.  

What is Guillain-Barré syndrome?

Guillain–Barré syndrome is a rare disorder in which the immune system goes into overdrive and the body attack its own nerves.

Common symptoms of the rare condition include weakness and tingling in the limbs. 

As patients’ conditions worsen, this can lead to parts of the body — or in some cases the whole body — being paralysed.

The syndrome is rare, affecting about one in 100,000 annually in the UK and US.

Fewer than 20,000 cases are diagnosed per year in the US, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. 

Doctors say it is often triggered by a viral or bacterial illness, such as Campylobacter jejuni. 

There is no cure. Treatment focuses on restoring the nervous system.

It can be fatal if it involves the respiratory muscles. 

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