Healthy man feared brain dead after food poisoning 'from £3 supermarket sandwich'

A once healthy man was left in a coma and feared brain dead after getting food poisoning from what his family believe was a £3 chicken sandwich.

Blake Pennell, 30, contracted and suffered from a , which left him hospitalised for almost a year. His partner, Lauren Hale, said she believed the terrifying ordeal was caused by a chicken from their local supermarket, which could have contained the potentially deadly . The 3D artist from Loddon, Norfolk, saw his nightmare ordeal start in June 14, 2024, when he was "very poorly" and could barely move from the sofa.

A week later, on June 22, Blake collapsed on the bathroom floor while vomiting but Lauren said nether she nor the hospital realised Blake was having a stroke. 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.

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"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 his neighbour and desperately rushed straight to A&E at . 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 super rare basilar artery stroke - when the basilar artery, which supplies blood to the back of the brain, is blocked.

Blake had a thrombectomy - a procedure that physically removes a blood clot from an artery - and was sent to the stroke recovery ward. Despite this, his struggles did not stop with this as a day later, on June 23, Blake was being wheeled in for emergency .

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. The 3D artist has since spent the last eight months slowly recovering in hospital 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 May and June 2024, the UK experienced a major , which affected more than 270 people and leading to numerous hospitalizations.

Several including , , , , Boots, and the were affected with the outbreak initially linked to salad leaves in sandwiches.

She added: "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 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, and has set up a page for his recovery.

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."