The Extraordinary Case of Alex Lewis | Real Stories Medical Miracle Documentary (2023)

Introduction

Alex Lewis, father of one, came down with a common cold in late 2013, which quickly developed into septicaemia and toxic shock syndrome. With less than a 3% chance of survival, doctors fought to save him. From arriving back at his family home and readjusting his relationships, to taking his first steps, this film delves into some of the raw moments that shape his days.

Starting just days after he lost his last limb, the film follows Alex’s incredible journey as he seeks his purpose in life, rebuilds his relationships and reinvents himself.

Alex Lewis Answers Your Questions (2021): youtu.be/4-O7EuZb224

For updates on Alex's story please visit www.alex-lewis.co.uk/

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The Extraordinary Case of Alex Lewis | Real Stories

Content

I met alex on top of a ladder about 10 years ago.

He came to do some work for me when I first saw him it instantly.

He was so good-looking and, and so nice he's the most laid-back guy.

You could possibly imagine very opposite to me and very kind, so always have this little bit of a crush on alex.

I used to be really vain.

I'd always spend time in front of the mirror.

Do my hair make sure I look good.

Have the right shirt on make sure my jeans are nice and tidy good shoes? Always judging me by shoes we were just an ordinary family me lucy and our son sam then, just over two years ago I caught a common cold.

It was to change the course of my life overnight.

People saw that I'd lost parts of my body, but what people couldn't see was the incredible impact that it had on my family life.

You know sam, is scared of alex's face it's not really hard for me to see.

He knows that.

I don't look right.

I could see it in his eyes.

It's just like what what what's happened.

You know before I fell ill.

We were miles apart.

He has to work hard as this relationship as he did before, because I am certainly not going to feel sorry for him.

I remember saturday morning both sam and alex were ill, alex just opened up the door and his eyes were popping out of his head and he's hot and he didn't have his top on and his whole top half was just purple literally it was.

It was happening in front of me.

He was going purple.

You know he was shivering, he didn't really know.

If I was there or not, he was like going unconscious.

I didn't know what this was.

You know for me.

He had the flu ambulance emergency.

Tell me exactly what's happened, my husband's body is full of rat, it's just rash.

He just looks at state he's, had the worst worst headache for like two or three days like crippling headaches, yeah and he can't um urine and there's just always just blood coming out he's just aching he's taken okay.

Well, we are organizing helpful.

You stay on the line and I'll tell you exactly what to do next.

Okay, the paramedics were in our kitchen and they put him in the seat and they couldn't get any um blood or anything out of him or do anything because his veins were shutting down.

You've, never seen anything.

I've.

No I've never seen anything like it.

I've never even I've.

Never I just just didn't contemplate to me that this was this.

Was this serious when we got into the ambulance and they sort of gave him some penicillin? I was thinking yeah, god he's going to be okay.

Now it's you know, he's in safe hands.

Now alex's flu-like symptoms were caused by a common bacteria, normally found harmlessly on the surface of the skin.

In an extraordinarily rare case, streptococcal strand, a or toxic shock syndrome had entered alex's body and was attacking it from within the doctor, came in and sat with us and told us that he had strap a, I didn't even know, strap a existed, didn't even know what strep a was didn't, have a clue.

Everything was dying.

All his toes were dying.

All his fingertips were dying, all his earlobes, his nose.

I thought we would lose him.

I didn't think he would survive.

We had a decision to take the surgeon said.

The left arm was going to kill him if it wasn't removed.

So I gave the approval for the left arm and she hurriedly spoke on and said and following the arm, we're going to have to take both legs and she then said and I'll do my best with the right arm.

She worked on his right arm and she worked hard on that with the hand, but the arm has to go.

I came back the next morning and I felt very scared for him and very vulnerable for him really vulnerable.

You know I can recall waking up and I can recall the pain I can recall seeing friends around the bedside when things were really bad, when you're on life support and you're in a code.

You have no idea.

What's going on, you have no concept of what's happening and no one's gonna tell you well, we think you're dying and I can recall the pain of like god that that is really real.

You know my legs are gone, they called me in and they were going to take him off his ventilator slightly to see if he had brain damage and all these consultants, all these nurses around me and they said, would you ask him a question that he can shake his head out that only you two would know in our relationship for the last eight years every morning, I'd wake up say we marry no, so I asked would he marry me to see if he had brain damage and he said no, so no brain damage? Absolutely fine.

Brain is working fine over nine months, alex undergoes 11 major operations to stabilize his body.

He spent most of his time in hospital away from his family alex's partner, lucy and their three-year-old son sam visit him as often as they can lucy.

Then, sam, you know those two they mean the world to me, I'm incredibly lucky to have them lips are on the way flat, all open, again, huh all open again.

So it's a yawn to laugh without hurting today alex is ready for the first operation on his mouth.

The family hope it will help rebuild his face, but it will be the first in a series of operations that could last over two years.

I did a mood board.

I chose my george clooney lips.

No, oh, I guess tall brilliant, brilliant beer, it's the old daddy! Why it's it's really hard at the moment, because that poor little lad seen so much of his dad go through vast amounts of change physically for sam to see his father like that, is quite scary.

To see him, you looking like a completely different person.

All right say goodbye to daddy, give him a kiss on his old lips because he's going to get new lips.

I look so alien to me.

I think he struggles to get close he'll give me a hug, but he certainly won't kiss me.

Facial surgery for the relationship with him is hugely important.

I think hopefully it will make all the difference.

Ideally to look like how I used to I found it now.

I was just genuinely excited about it really really exciting to get to just knock it like that yeah, I shall miss it after 13 hours in surgery, alex has returned.

You know you look at everything jesus.

What on earth is this? What am I looking at and I think it's it's the shock factor.

I felt very scared.

I felt alone.

You know I couldn't stop crying and then once my surgery explained about it's gone, like excess skin on the left, I fairly understood why you know you need it in case skin tightens too quickly, or you know you can use it again rather than keep taking the skin off you, they can use your skin that they're taking the first time.

You know, I said to this: I said: look you know.

Maybe people should be warned before I come out of hospital.

What I look like you know, because it is quite a shock and she's like it's not.

You know, you're.

Looking at it the wrong way, a big red cow: after almost a year of operations, alex has returned home with the hope of adapting to a new life with his family.

Yeah, it's going down.

It's gone down this side, it's all going to just grow into your face.

Isn't it guys yeah? That's fine! You know just no look at me straight on no, just because you've got a bit sticking out, which is your extra flap.

No, I still look like a clown.

Does he look like daddy cow? I I didn't think going into the surgery that it would have this profound effect on certainly me and on sand.

Unfortunately, it has come here.

I want to give you a big cuddle, no not this year.

I think if I was a three and a half year old- and I was looking at my father in in this condition- then I would find it very, very odd and very strange.

I miss that time with sam and the closeness an awful lot.

It's a it's.

The one thing I think it gets through the next definitely who's their customers in there john.

Now that alex is at home, lucy has returned to running the family business, a pub and guest house on her own.

How many rooms does she want? This one only wants one one time: yeah yeah alex is now being looked after by a carer at home.

While he continues his rehabilitation and surgery on his mouth.

It was really really hard.

The first time I got back into bed with him to have a cuddle.

It's like getting him back into bed with somebody that you know after you've been away from you getting back.

I didn't know who he was.

I was too scared.

I was too scared to touch him or ask for a cuddle, and it's frank, you know he's afraid of his body.

You know he must probably think to himself.

Oh, my god.

This is what she's ended up with what lucy must see.

You know from how I was to how now you know.

I think I just can't imagine what she thinks when she looks at me.

I think he struggles or not it's very hard to seal her.

You know she works so hard all the time you know.

She's always stressed out it's, you know it's hard work and you know I just think.

Without all this it'll be a lot easier one.

You know everyone, I'm sure people do still think it.

You know why am I still with him do I? You know why I absolutely love and it's the first time that I've ever loved anybody as much as I've loved anybody.

You know what, when I got with alex, I didn't care who it was as long as a he made me smile.

It made me a cup of tea in the morning now the cup of tea in the morning has gone, but he still makes me smile, argues, questions me and he's the only person that does that so yeah love, not because he had nice legs shocking legs, shocking legs.

So I don't really care about the legs, but yeah love alex has been home with his family for six weeks, but is now returning to hospital for an extended period of rehabilitation.

Are you gonna? Be okay, yeah, sure, okay, yeah? Okay, I love you so much.

Okay, in an effort to improve his motor skills and become more independent, he'll stay in a rehabilitation center for 10 weeks.

Oh yeah, okay, let's go okay, okay, okay! This is a step for me to get.

You know a bit of my alex back and this will give him his independence back.

Call me tonight then yeah and work hard for the first time in your life, very, very anxious at the moment.

Full of anticipation.

I think now, are you in a hurry because you're in a hurry, or are you in a hurry, because this is your usual speed? That is the usual speed? Okay, so sometimes that's really good.

I can hit you around.

The most difficult thing for him is to lose his arms yeah well done using the bed, his loves in life for golf cooking, reading, writing drawing and they all take all hands.

You know, and he was a big hugger alex loved, giving cuddles, especially with sam.

Had I made him go to the doctors earlier or had I made him do all these things sooner.

You know I saw he was ill, but not now being able to hug his son and have that feeling of a proper cuddle.

I think yeah awful, have you have you done much cutting up food? No, none at all.

Okay, that's good! I need to find your big having been given prosthetic arms for the first time, alex will attempt to learn basic tasks again.

Try it like that and see if you can get except that's the wrong angle, just go and get that.

I will pick that I'll pick that bit up first pick that bit up first and then obviously wrong way up that way up and then do a that kind of push oopsie, throw that and push in it's going to take a little bit of working that one out and just try picking that up with your with your hook.

Yes, that's good well done well done! Is it just slightly too slightly too long but too high a cup? Let me get it! Let me get a slower one on you, which would actually also make it a better angle.

Have you got any of the non-slip mat that I send that now uh, it's uh, it's very hard, very harmful for me at the moment, you're thinking, weeks and weeks of it.

You know you play the long name, but you know it's still very hard, but it's the only option.

We've got if you could just take your way to the left-hand side to the right right, yeah right outside my left.

The rehabilitation center is more than two hours drive from alex's home, with a busy pub and guest house to run lucy can only visit with sam once a week, hello, hello, hello.

I saw that in in in mummy's plane yeah his dad was standing.

You text it and my mommy's yeah, hey, I didn't yeah.

It is that both the big lips, that is the wrong way around huh.

It is a funny sam, is really important for alex.

Had something to you know, strive for to to to wake up every morning for to make sure that he's got something to be proud of.

You know, he's still sam's dad, no matter what he's sam's father, no arms, no legs, no a! He has to be a father, he has to be a role model for sam and, if alex shows that he's so powerful and so committed and so driven, it will only go through to some eventually all right.

It's all good! It's all good! Oh, come on back to work.

I don't want him to feel that that I could that perhaps I can't do anything you know I mean I don't want it to feel that you know, because I've lost legs and arms.

I can't you know, I'm helpless.

That's it.

Four six one alex is on a weekend break from rehab.

It's a rare visit home to spend time with his family, ready it didn't work.

People do stuff, but they're going to aren't they it's quite shocking.

I know I don't know, do you think they would stare as much if it wasn't for his lips, I mean he has got bart simpson.

This do you know what he hasn't changed: personality wise at all, he's still the same now, but he has got more drive than he's ever had I'm quite he hasn't become a recluse has he she could have quite easily become a recruiter.

I think the only thing that's changed is that he does have a drive he's.

Not can you say lazy? Maybe this was meant for him.

If that come my way, I would have rolled over and just switched off the machine myself.

If I could, every nurse seemed to tell me down there.

Fine, every single nurse had to tell me on every shift.

It's okay.

It's okay, like I was more worried about the liver test coming through alex liked to drink and it came back and it was normal.

You know I was drinking masses and masses of alcohol back then unit wise.

I was easily an alcoholic and I think I was starting to become a little bit lost in that because I wasn't very happy before alex fell ill.

The pub that the family was living in was struggling.

Lucy then opened a second pub to rescue the business at that time.

There was not enough support with what I was trying to do.

You know I had to go out to work every day and it did put pressure on us.

It was a really stressful time.

We literally see each other for a few hours a week with that we were pretty much separate.

You know alex loved drinking.

He was in one of our pubs all day and he would drink too much where I'd come in from work every day and been working and alex would have been having a drink at the bar that didn't help.

I just felt like he was just taking the piss really now it'd be very easy for him, a to become a recluse turn to alcohol again, and I'm not going to bring some up into that.

Well, I feel good alex is back in hospital for an operation to widen his mouth.

She is making you so you can smile properly tomorrow, open your mouth.

There yeah it's small, though very small, okay, so yeah I'll see you tomorrow.

Okay, bye-bye take care bye.

So, finally, the surgery it's arrived, sound, you see me go from six foot bloke to you, know: 3 foot, 10, no legs, no arms.

You know facial surgery on the go for the full circle future that clearly must affect our as relationship a effort, as I can to look and feel like me, really help me and try and rebuild that closeness between us.

For me, you know going through my little boy.

I can't I can't imagine where I'd be now he's a big factor.

I think it's nice in the future and realizes how important he was he's a gloom.

Really he sort of kept us all together in his own way.

He said far more, I think, you'll never understand the surgery lasts.

The whole night, the following morning, lucy and sam, are the first visitors.

I see your teeth eat that thing now, if I see your teeth on your tongue, oh you know.

Actually your teeth are nice.

They were black and how's.

It go open your mouth.

Let me look at the gum, you're, just thinking a lolly could go in it.

Yeah.

Let's see you do it.

Oh my god.

Oh daddy, your mom got smaller, you sucked it because he's got a bigger mouth yeah, because I I chomped a bit of it and then everyone panicked and they thought I was gonna die eat it.

Don't you do that because you'll ruin your teeth now he's allowed to we've got to eat it for sweet sure a bit of it sit right right right so when he has problems with his teeth and he's going to the dentist you can get in the car and take him every time.

Yeah! That's the irony! When you go again, it's a really good way to get a lolly, so how's that work, samuel, don't listen to your father, go wake them up ready for first day at school, hello! Good morning, it's the first day of school.

This is the first day of the restaurant.

Today, sam yeah come on just waking up just waking up.

Geez sam's been there was the the key to this whole thing to getting alex's attitude that one day he'll go back.

Walking the dog with sam and sam will say a lot when you've got big legs, so we're going to be playing football yeah, it's quite it's quite sad.

He's gotta get school.

Now it's like an end of the innocence in a sense, monkey's all grown out, drink your drink.

I don't drink it in my mouth.

I drink it.

No, you don't drink it through your mouth.

Okay eat your cocoa pops.

Now, otherwise I'll beat you come here right.

Oh, my goodness, this button's gone again me you and your minis.

You love your minis.

Don't you be brave, be brave, be great! Okay, you'll love, it you're! Gonna love! It trust me good, don't cry because that's right, she'll have so much fun! Honestly.

What did I say? I said: if you cry, I cry mummy, doesn't cry? Come on they're, nice, good, daddy, hey, you're, right, kiss, big boy, big boy, yeah, yeah, love you! He won't be there long and I'll see you this afternoon, you're not going to be there only a little bit.

Okay here, daddy, kiss, where's, where's jack jack and claire where's, jack jack and claire is christian's here.

Christian's there christian's here, okay, okay, it's okay, you'll, be all right, huh, I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going anywhere.

Oh it's very difficult for alex to when they go to school and see all the other dads.

All the other dads can run and play alexander can't have fun alex feels it.

Of course he does he's his dad and he wanted to do those things with him.

It hasn't happened, but it will happen because alexander with legs will be able to do the things that other dads do.

But I do think through this period he's missed an awful lot.

They really go for the shoulders, something lift them right up to your ears and then all the way around lovely.

It's been one and a half years since alex fell ill he's leaving home again and returning to hospital to increase his mobility by learning to walk on advanced prosthetic legs yeah.

They are the legs yeah.

It should be good, kick with the right.

Okay, now that's got.

That's got no interest in staying on there.

So what's happening is the air is getting not being stilled out, so it's coming loose while I'm walking bringing air in and that's it, that's it and that's it.

Okay, with alex away lucy, continues to manage their business and run their home.

It's mostly all a mess, probably there's a load of shoes up here he's got hundreds all his shoes.

It's all backs up shoes, you know like none of them have ever been worn he'll at some point, you'll have prosthetics that will have his feet on them, so he can go back to wearing shoes.

So he's going back to size, 11 feet he's already chosen his gucci loafers that he wants me to get him for when he uh starts walking again.

I think it will do it.

Why would special? Because that was who alex was his identity? Was he loved putting a jacket on he loved, putting shirt on and he loved dressing up? So I think for him he said done still be back and he'll be back and make him feel sexy again.

I just don't tell her too much really.

You know I'll tell her a little bit.

How was your day yeah? It was fine, you know I'm not going to tell her well, actually, I've got the legs at night.

They were back in the workshop by 10, didn't get back till 1 o'clock in the afternoon and whatever you know, all that gets left out.

You know she's got enough to get stressed out at home with you know, business and sound stuff.

She gets enough out of me, but not everything alex has been given the best prosthetic legs.

The nhs has to offer if they work he's hoping to become less reliant on his family.

Sorry, if I need you, no that's right, you know it isn't the right leg.

You know it's one thing having people put the liners on, but it's another thing being unable to lock the leg to be able to get out.

It isn't what's best, but it's the only thing: that's half decent and available.

It's not good.

No, I think it was the prosthetic coming back but caught yeah.

Oh this.

I think so that caught it.

I think it caught that right on there, hello, hi, tommy, you right good.

How are you I'm good you're right, you know you're lying you're lying no how's it going god.

I feel, like I've been beaten up today.

Have you why I fell over a lot? You fell over where where's your hook gone.

It's been amputated this afternoon.

It was like I'm over tipping on the right, so I stacked it about three times: did it hurt yeah so they're taking it away again, and how do you feel frustrated at the moment? You know I did say today about my left left leg falling off, it's falling off the floor.

I don't think anything person that knows what's going on.

Is you and I think, you're not intelligent enough and you've read so much about this, and you know exactly what exactly what you want.

You know in a perfect world I want to be, you know, do it privately? I don't know we can't afford it.

No! No, who can you know knowing how bad the system is now with the prosthetics and the aftercare and being in the system, knowing that I'm going to stay in the system, probably for the rest of my life realistically, knowing that doesn't really give you much confidence as in the future, and I can't see it getting any better.

This is something that you've got to fight for now, all of it, but if you can make a few changes, you're going to have to do it, that's it I'd always be by your side.

If you needed me yeah, I would always be there.

If you asked me to be by your side, I would be there.

I got ashes today.

Somebody said to me: there must have been a point where you said you know you wanted to walk away, and I said never there's never been a point where I've wanted to walk away from it.

Every she's very lucky, walk away from this.

You must be mad, but I like a challenge um.

I just had a call from alex to say that he was coming home on thursday night.

He checked himself out and there was no point in being there, because taxpayer's money is being spent on some equipment that he's never going to be able to use.

I decided to leave rohanson.

It was a difficult decision to make because they've been fantastic all the way through, but it's simply not within their budget until you spend any more money on the knee joint, which is the right knee joint that I need yeah he's disappointed in it.

Oh god, yeah really disappointed in that he's not going to get him all he wants is parallax, there's nothing else, but he just can't get them.

We need to figure out a way how we can do ourselves.

I don't think I'll be tying shoelaces anytime soon.

I've come upstairs to sort through all the clothes that I've had stored away.

Everything pretty much is obsolete.

All the shoes, the shoes that I love yeah just here to have a look at it all again, one last time I guess and then getting rid of it.

I feel like I'm a different person.

You know to how I was like prior to when I fell ill.

It's much much different, so yeah part of me is kind of ushering out the old and and welcoming the new.

It's quite cathartic.

I think you know it's quite it.

It feels quite clean to to get rid of them really.

A lot of those clothes have seen an awful lot of drinking go on in the years gone by.

You know, and I don't miss being like that.

I don't miss those days, you don't what did what did daddy used to drink at the pub guinness? What else you stopped drinking? Didn't you? I have still drinking goodness.

Yeah you drink, you smell yeah, I drink more juice than everything after me.

That way you can your legs get quite bigger and bigger cause.

I drink juice.

Yes, you know looking back to how I was then you know I was.

I wasn't on the right path, so falling ill for me was a saving grace really, and it's got my head straight and clear, and you know you make you you make your choices as to what's important, and I couldn't go back to that now, not knowing how I was I'm very lucky that I've been given a second chance.

You know plenty of people, don't get that holly come here, sit down paul! Oh, it's been 21 months since alex fell ill today, the family woke up to some big news, we're all in bed as normal, sam included and alex just said.

Something like well you've been asking me for so long.

We might as well just get married in a very unromantic way by the way, and I just sort of repeated what he said to me and I said: are you asking me to marry you, and he said yes, and that was it.

I changed my mind about the whole marriage thing because of everything that I kind of inadvertently put her through really and how she coped with it and didn't waver and stuck by me, it's quite clear that it's got to be her.

No I've always expected it because then you'd give in at some point.

I know I've drained him down.

I'd, get him down at some point: I'd nag him down to it.

So I knew it's always going to happen.

He just didn't know it's going to happen since falling ill, alex has been determined to increase his independence, but so far none of the prosthetic legs have enabled him to walk.

It's become quite clear that the national health service have got no way of funding.

The knee joints that I require, which means we're going to have to raise the money or the profile of the problem on our own alex, has been introduced to a private trust organizer in the hope of beginning his own formal, fundraising organization.

Your year is going to be full of exciting moves forward things.

Some things you, you haven't even done before yeah the search is on for the costly equipment that could transform alex and his family's life yeah.

Is that a hair cycle just put some rocker pieces there rocket boosters? Yes, the cost of it all told with prosthetics is about 24 and a half thousand pounds.

That money is is worth every penny for it.

You know I mean that lucy and I can go out with sam and his bike.

You know we can do stuff to family.

You can't really put a price on a little bit of independence over the next few months.

Alex's trust begins raising its first money good evening.

Everyone.

Thank you for attending the event.

Tonight.

A team of volunteers join with a goal to raise the three million pounds alex is estimated to need over the course of his lifetime.

Woman phoned me up today at work.

Can you tell me that she was in the shower thinking about you this morning, how's that brilliant in the shower she was in the shower and her husband.

That is pretty much what the support is leo.

She constantly takes to kiss now.

22 months after falling ill, alex is striving ahead and the trust is delivering was gone now, as the time's going by.

I see something new happen every week.

I see him now open up a fridge.

I see him now pour himself a drink of squash, he's very, very independent now, and he wants to do it all himself.

All of this is attitude of mind and life.

If you want your life, you will go out and get it.

The funniest thing happened here, the other day where alex opened there cracker, and then it was a shoehorn.

That's too hard and lucy have gathered their closest friends together to celebrate their engagement two years alex got ill.

No in two years can I propose a toast, please to all of you around the table tonight, it's the first time since I fell ill, that I've got you all here together.

At the same time and throughout everything that's gone on, your friendship has been invaluable to all of us.

Even you, joe and the one person that's made it even better.

Outside of all.

You lot has been lucy upset, but you've been incredible to me and I could not be sat here now so happy without you.

So can we propose a toast? I think that what's kept us together and kept us quite strong and yeah, it's honesty.

I'm quite blunt we're very opposite people.

I think if I hadn't been honest with you, you weren't going to get better yeah, but that got better.

No, you wouldn't know no one's older than no.

You wouldn't know honestly, all of them.

You would not.

Let's be honest, I would have been fine.

No you would never.

What I have realised is that I always thought I was the strong person in this relationship.

So where I'd gone on for years about him being laid back and oh god he's got, no he's got no drive.

I was totally wrong.

He was, he is the strong one.

He is the driven one.

Not me, I got beard so then that goes about like that.

I think yes, that's it! That's it I've nearly done it nearly done it yeah just kiss cuddle, hey, don't run away.

Why? Why yeah? I love you! Come on, I guess you can now.

Why was the secret now the secret yeah, oh yeah, we're going hand cycling, yeah, pedal with your legs use your legs.

I would say the last two years have been the most tragic brilliance, two years of my life from being minutes away from death and then coming all the way through to now being blissfully happy out of everything that we've we've learned in the last two years.

I guess foremost, is that I think it's just keep going.

We never look back, no matter what you come up against.

Just keep going.