Man at Royal Stoke for almost a year after contracting E. coli 'from sandwich'
A once fit and healthy man was left in a coma after getting food poisoning from what his family believed was a £3 supermarket chicken sandwich.
Blake Pennell, 30, who lives in Stoke-on-Trent, suffered a rare stroke after contracting E. coli and has since spent almost a year at the Royal Stoke.
The 3D artist cannot sit up or stand but has made slow progress and is now able to move his head and mouth words to his partner Lauren Hale.
Lauren, who relocated to Stoke-on-Trent with Blake for his work, said: "His speech was normal, his face was okay and he could put his arms above his head.
"You never think someone is going to have a stroke at this age and you never think anything like this could happen to you.
"He is starting to get his life back and it makes it all worth it."
Lauren believes a chicken salad sandwich from a local supermarket could have contained E. coli.
In May and June 2024, the UK experienced a major E. coli outbreak, which affected more than 270 people and leading to numerous hospitalisations.
Several supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Boots, and the Co-op were affected with the outbreak initially linked to salad leaves in sandwiches.
Blake, originally from Norfolk, had been 'very poorly' from June 14, 2024, when Lauren said he could barely move from the sofa.
A week later, on June 22, Blake collapsed in the bathroom while vomiting.
Lauren added: "We didn't know it was a stroke because a stroke is not always what people think it is.
"None of the 'FAST' symptoms were there."
FAST is an acronym to help identify the key signs of a stroke: face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulties, and time to call 999.
Blake was carried by a neighbour and driven straight to A&E at the Royal Stoke.
Lauren said: "The hospital didn't recognise it was a stroke initially either and it was an hour after he was admitted that his speech slurred.
"Everybody kicked up a gear and gave him the scan."
Blake was diagnosed with a basilar artery stroke - when the basilar artery, which supplies blood to the back of the brain, is blocked - which makes up just one per cent of all strokes.
He had a thrombectomy - a procedure that physically removes a blood clot from an artery - and was sent to the stroke recovery ward.
But the following day (June 23), Lauren rushed back to the hospital as Blake was being wheeled in for emergency surgery.
He had cerebral tonsil herniation - a condition where part of the cerebellum descends into the spinal canal and causes swelling.
Lauren said: "Blake had a posterior craniotomy by one of the top neurosurgeons in the country - most people don't make it off the operating table."
Blake spent four and a half weeks in a medical coma while on a ventilator and with a tracheostomy.
Altogether, he has spent the last eight months in the Royal Stoke, recovering slowly after doctors originally believed he could be brain dead.
Lauren, who is considering going into occupational therapy after Blake's diagnosis, said: "We found out a few weeks after that he had E. coli in his system and it can cause a clotting disorder which can cause a stroke.
"There's no other reason he would have had a stroke - he doesn't drink or smoke and he's healthy.
"We believe it came from a chicken salad sandwich bought from a supermarket as he got meal deals from there all the time.
"In the early days doctors said he could be brain dead. We just kept on believing that wasn't the case.
"I spent every day with him and I actually still do. I began to notice small things. Once with the nurses, I was referencing a family joke and Blake wiggled his eyebrows at me.
"His eyes were closed but I thought 'That's a sign'. By Christmas time, he was nodding and shaking his head."
Blake's brain damage has now been assessed as minimal and Lauren is hopeful that after rehabilitation and physio, he will be looking at a good quality of life.
She currently commutes a three-hour round trip by public transport to see him every day - 200 miles away from their families in Norwich, Norfolk.
Lauren said: "He can move his right arm and leg and he is communicating through a tablet.
"Blake can't sit up or stand but he does have head control in his wheelchair.
"He's started to mouth words at me including 'I miss you'.
"People need to know that a stroke is not just for older people and the symptoms may not be typical."
Lauren has set up a fundraiser to help Blake's recovery which you can find here.
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