20-year-old ‘died for 25 minutes’ after sunburn brought up symptoms of ‘silent killer’
Incredibly, this 20-year-old getting second degree burns after baking in the sun inadvertently saved his life.
Brit student Charlie Vincent only found out he was suffering from a 'silent killer' condition after being rushed to hospital due to the horrific sunburn he had sustained while outdoors in the US state of New Hampshire.
He headed across the pond in June to work at a summer camp where he would be teaching six-year-olds how to canoe, but he was burnt to a crisp during his first day on the water.
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The lad, from Northamptonshire, sustained second degree burns and was taken to hospital by camp leaders as his condition 'deteriorated quickly', where it was then discovered that he also had patches of pneumonia on his lungs.
Charlie underwent surgery to remedy the respiratory infection, before things then took another turn for the worse.
In the operating theatre, the third-year film student suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest as well as a mini-stroke.
According to his family, his heart then stopped beating for a whopping 25 minutes before medics managed to bring him back to life - but unfortunately, there was more bad news on the way.
Charlie's sister Emily explained that doctors discovered her little brother had an enlarged heart, also known as a cardiomegaly, which was putting the major organ under excess stress and causing it to work harder than normal.
The family were told that he could have had the condition since birth, but it took 'something like a respiratory infection' for it to emerge.
"At one point, I just couldn’t see a way that Charlie was going to make it, it was absolutely heart-breaking, it was hell," Emily, 24, said. "It’s definitely a miracle that he’s still here."
Charlie spent around a week in an induced coma while doctors worked out whether he would need both a heart and kidney transplant - but thankfully, he is back on the right track, which means he might not need to undergo this.
But the 20-year-old still faces the prospect of having a heart transplant at a 'much later date'.
Speaking of the family's shock at finding out about Charlie's hidden condition, Emily said: "We were none the wiser.
"He’s always been a healthy boy, he’s never showed any issues with his heart before."
After being shunted around between three different hospitals and hooked up to life support machines, the student suddenly woke up from the induced coma - much to the joy with his parents Joe, 47, and Sue, 50, at his bedside.
Emily said her little brother - who she described as her 'best mate' and 'rock' - has since come on leaps and bounds.
She said the situation is now 'looking really positive', as Charlie is now set to return to the UK on a medical flight and has been able to walk unassisted while continuing to 'get stronger each day'.
The 24-year-old added: "It has been a miracle in terms of how quickly he’s made a turnaround."
Now, Charlie's loved ones are waiting to hear whether the 20-year-old's insurance - which is worth up to $500,000 (around £390,000) will cover his extensive medical bills which have racked up due to how 'advanced' his treatment has been.
Emily said they have to wait until he has been discharged for them to receive the final bill from the hospital.
She has organised a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of his treatment and her parents travel bills, which has already raised £13,000 of it's £20,000 target.
Olivia Burke