'I was at death's door when Newcastle hospital doctors saved my life'

A Bishop Auckland man, 25, is fighting to raise money for the hospital team who saved his life when he went into liver failure last year. Carl Stout is a recovering addict and a year ago was at his lowest ebb. He told ChronicleLive how he ended up at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle though, and the care there saved him and has set him on path to trying to turn his life around. Carl is hoping to now raise at least £800 - though he wants to smash that target - for the Newcastle Hospitals Charity which supports NHS staff and patients on wards across the city's RVI and Freeman hospitals.

Carl said: "Basically, I ended up at the Freeman Hospital with liver failure last year. It's because I'm an addict and have been battling through all of that. Obviously, it's nearly taken my life. Fortunately I've come out the other end - and now I want to raise money as they have simply saved my life.

I was at death's door. "To be honest I can't remember much from being admitted, but I do remember telling my mam that I didn't think I could do it.

But she took me to hospital and that was it. I was really close to needing a transplant. "I'm fit as it goes now, but I do find it difficult sometimes.

But I go to meetings, and I'm getting through it. I've put to try to raise £800, but I'd love to get a bit more!" Carl was admitted to hospital in April last year and spent weeks recovering from illness. He's now out of hospital and doing what he can to deal with the addiction issues which led to his hospitalisation. He has shared pictures of himself on the ward at his weakest to highlight quite how poorly he was.

Carl is now determined to give a real thank you to the NHS staff who looked after him. "They basically saved my life and I want to give something back," he added. "This is a cause that means so much to me." The Newcastle Hospitals Charity supports the city's NHS hospitals in a range of ways - whether by funding creative programmes for those in hospital or funding lifesaving technology such as a Berlin Heart used to keep children waiting for vital transplants alive. Carl's fundraiser is available here.

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