When deadly sepsis struck, doctors put Kriss Jones into a coma and gave him just a three percent chance of survival.
Over the next three weeks, his body fought a silent battle as infections ravaged his organs.
At his bedside throughout, his devastated partner Charlotte Pilling sobbed as she said goodbye to the love of her life on three separate occasions. But to the astonishment of doctors, 30-year-old plasterer Kriss rallied every time, overcoming obstacle after obstacle.
And when he finally woke up, there was only one thing on his mind – asking loyal Charlotte, 22, to marry him and promising her the white wedding of her dreams.
“What happened to me was such a life-changing experience, there was no better way of expressing how I felt than proposing to Charlotte,” says Kriss.
“She had showed her commitment to me. I wanted to show her I loved her and was just as committed as she was.”
The British lovebirds tied the knot in Port Sunlight, Merseyside, on a day full of emotion for the newlyweds and their 100 guests.
Kriss admits, “I was so nervous when I was waiting for Charlotte to walk down the aisle, but when I saw her, she looked beautiful and I couldn’t wait to marry her.”
Looking radiant in her fairytale gown embellished with crystals, Charlotte adds, “When Kriss was in hospital, it was heartbreaking. I was constantly in tears. When he was in a coma, I stayed in the hospital overnight because they said it was touch-and-go and I wanted to be with him.
“I was told to say goodbye to Kriss three times, but I said to his family and friends that he’d make it because he’d promised he would never leave me. When we were saying our vows, I thought back to how ill my husband was. It was so emotional. I married my best friend and I couldn’t be any happier.”
Kriss’ health problems began in his teens. Struggling to digest food properly, he had numerous tests for a variety of conditions, including Crohn’s disease, but doctors could never get to the root of what was causing him so much pain.
His work and social life began to really suffer in his 20s, when problems with his stomach and bowel worsened.
“I was aged about 22 when I collapsed at my mate’s house,” recalls Kriss.
“I had an operation, but doctors said they couldn’t find any kind of blockage. I soldiered on and managed to get up a good bit of weight until two years ago, when I started losing weight and my skin discoloured.
“On April 7 last year, I collapsed and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. I truly believed I was dying.”
Doctors found his bowel was distorted, but when it was untangled in an operation, deadly sepsis began to spread, shutting down his lungs, kidneys and liver. He had a heart attack and doctors put him into an induced coma.
“Doctors had to stop what they were doing because it would have killed me,” tells Kriss.
“I later had three bowel operations and a tracheostomy, all within the space of a week. I was literally skin and bone – I weighed just 29kg. Doctors told me afterwards that only three percent of people survive what I went through.”
Against all odds, Kriss was woken from his coma after three weeks and spent a further two months in intensive care. He then faced eight months of rehabilitation on a hospital ward, where he learned to walk and talk again.
“I became really depressed,” he admits, “but Charlotte pulled me through. I looked forward to seeing her smile every day.”
Together for just over three years, Charlotte and Kriss met through his younger sister Sophie, who died from cervical cancer just months later at the age of 19.
The wedding, on July 5, came exactly a year after Kriss bought Charlotte an engagement ring, on the day he was first let out of hospital.
Charlotte’s son Alfie, from a previous relationship, was a page boy, while her proud father Mike gave her away. It was a dream wedding day that Kriss – who is currently tube-fed and facing more medical tests as he continues to battle with his health – feared he would never see.
He grins, “When I go back to the hospital now, they joke, ‘It’s the miracle!’
“All I want to do now is get myself fully better and get back to work. I’d love to start a family with Charlotte, although I already love Alfie to bits. I know she’d love a little girl.
“I just can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I’ve been given a second chance and I’m determined not to waste a second.”
Words: Vikki White
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