Mr Tan Hwee Boon, together with his wife Choong Siet Mei, in hospital. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MR TAN HWEE BOON
What initially seemed like a standard case of food poisoning - vomiting, diarrhoea and bouts of fever - turned into a matter of life and death for a 50-year-old man. After Mr Tan Whee Boon was taken to hospital, he passed out and slipped in and out of consciousness for two weeks.
When he finally woke up, a shock awaited him. His hands and feet had shrivelled and turned black. Doctors at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) then broke the dreaded news to Mr Tan - his hands and legs had to be amputated. The technician and his wife, Madam Choong Siet Mei, 47, a housewife, were distraught. While he was out cold, she had to endure the horror of seeing his hands and feet gradually turn gangrenous. Ironically, the drug that saved Mr Tan’s life was the cause of the gangrene.
Madam Choong said: “I watched his limbs and nails turn from purple to black before they dried up. I couldn’t bear to tell him at first. “But after his near brush with death, I’m just glad his heart is still beating. Our children’s father is still alive.”