On the 19th June, Austin was first admitted to the East Surrey Hospital, he walked into A&E at 6:30pm complaining of leg pain and his fingers and toes starting to discolour.
By 10pm Austin's condition had significantly worsened and a retrieval team, from the Evelina Children’s Hospital was called. By 11pm Austin was in the resus room, with multiple drugs, fluids and painkillers being administered. He was falling into a severe septic shock and was deteriorating quickly. The cause of this was a blood infection, Invasive Strep A. By 11:30pm, we were informed that it was highly likely that Austin would lose this battle, closing in on a possible cardiac arrest and to prepare for the worst possible outcome.
He was then blue-light transferred to the Evelina Hospital, part of Guys and St Thomas’, London and admitted into Intensive Care. A team of 8 specialists were waiting for his arrival. They worked on him to control this infection and his body’s reaction to it. His liver, kidney and gut failed him and ultimately, he required emergency dialysis to try to extract the toxins from his body. Over the course of the next 7 hours, his heart rate was up to between 160 and 190 and his blood pressure at dangerously low levels. Again, we were told to expect the worst as his body was put under incredible strain and stress to survive.
By 6am, the medical team were satisfied that they were in control of the situation. He remained critically ill but, sedated and in an induced coma, he was still alive. He remained in a coma for the next 3 days.
When he came out of his coma, we discovered his brain had survived without injury. In the subsequent weeks and months, Austin’s organs recovered. His limbs regained more circulation and dexterity returned to his hands and fingers. He remained in Evelina’s intensive care unit for 10 weeks, before being transferred to critical care and ultimately onto the ward. Every week he had surgery to treat the injuries he sustained in fighting his infection.
But during the month of August it became obvious the infection was continuing to harm him, the main source of which was emanating from the injuries sustained on his left foot. Ultimately this was making him medically unwell and severely affecting his body’s overall recovery; so the difficult decision was made to have Austin’s lower left leg amputated.. Following this, Austin's infection markers dropped significantly and he began to thrive. He looked better, felt better, gained weight, grew stronger, was less tired and was able to fully commit to his physio and recovery. Austin was back in the game.
Major reconstructive surgery on his right foot took place in December. Sadly the pain and prospects of future mobility have now led to a decision to opt for a second, below knee amputation. Austin will now look ahead to getting up on his two new prosthetics (part of which he has designed himself) and seeing where his limits will sit. After that, he decides the outcome and ending to this story. Bring on 2025 and to seeing how far he can climb!
The fact that Austin had such high fitness levels and strong lung capacity, saved his life, saved his brain and saved his arms and hands. He remained relaxed and determined throughout his initial ordeal, joking with the retrieval team that he’d “had better days” and enquiring who was going to drive the ambulance and where would he sit. He has remained upbeat and positive in outlook and most importantly he retains his usual characteristics of kindness, thoughtfulness, and a sense of fun. This calmness, this fitness and this mentality saved him and provides him with a better tomorrow. In terms of severity, he was given a less than 5% chance of survival, a less than 1% chance of not suffering brain damage, but he’s beaten these odds and now everything he achieves today paves the way for his recovery, his rehabilitation and to create his story.
The team at the Evelina have been world class in their care, their treatment of him and their spirit. The story of Evelina is also inspirational and all donations received for Austin will be split between the hospital and to support Austin’s recovery.
Follow Austin's Story Here on Instagram
The Hunter family has now set up a “Go Fund Me” page for Austin and the Evelina Hospital. A series of fundraising events will be uploaded to this website and linked.
All money raised will be split between the charities that have and will support Austin’s care and rehabilitation and to help Austin with any specialist equipment that he will require. The Evelina will be the first charity to be supported.
It is envisaged that Austin will return to a full, active and very competitive life. His zest for team sports will inspire us all. When he was informed of his amputation, his thoughts were about how it would affect his relationships with those he loved to spend time with, on the pitch, court or course. How, if he wasn’t able to compete, he wouldn’t share those moments, create those memories and participate in those shared experiences, win, lose or draw. But his amputation will not define him, nor limit him. Technological advances mean he can compete again, but he may need to adapt his game plan.
Dragon Hockey’s Managing Director, Andy McNamee said of Austin; “Keep pushing, have fun and trust your ability. The pitch is still yours and your team is lucky to have someone with your spirit. Every stride taken is a victory and you can show the world what true grit looks like” We couldn’t agree more… watch him fly!
To assist this fundraising, Warwick will be running the 2025 London Marathon, on behalf of Austin’s Powers and the Evelina
Support for him, Austin and his charities is greatly appreciated, donate here
Evelina Children’s Hospital:
Evelina London Children's services are part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
It provides comprehensive health services care for children from before birth, throughout childhood and into adult life.
They provide hospital care and treatment at both its purpose-built children’s hospital on the St Thomas’ Hospital site and at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals. They care for families in the local areas and provide an extensive range of specialist services for children with rare and complex conditions from across south London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Its vision is to be a world leading centre of life-changing care for children, young people and their families.
They are building a specialist clinical network so that the 1.7 million children in London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex can benefit from the expert care. Evelina London cares for 104,000 families a year.
The Children's Hospital is a stunning purpose-built building on the site of St Thomas', and includes:
It really is a hospital that doesn't feel like a hospital.
The Evelina’s dedicated charity, Evelina London Children's Charity supports the hospital to provide compassionate, trailblazing care for children and their families. They also help care for the amazing teams at Evelina London.
Together we can continue to transform children and families' experiences of care.
How its charity helps;
Thanks to generous donations, Evelina London Children's Charity funds projects and equipment across Evelina London that go beyond what the NHS can provide. This includes improving patient and parent experience, buying new state-of-the-art equipment, testing innovative approaches, and supporting our hardworking teams.
Just a few examples of how their charity helps are:
From small moments of intense compassion to big leaps in innovation, their charity helps fuel the everyday incredible moments at Evelina London. Find out more on the Evelina London Children's Charity website.
