When Derek Watts set off on a family trip to Hoedspruit, he never would have thought he'd end up fighting for his life in hospital two days later. The veteran Carte Blanche presenter tweeted a photo on 2 April, with a caption explaining that he had "collapsed with [a] suspected stroke", was rushed to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg and later diagnosed with severe sepsis. "Destroyed the bod in an hour (sic)," Watts says of the damage the sepsis caused, adding that he is "learning to walk again" as a result. "It was a decision I made because people were saying, you know, 'Why weren't you on air?' and 'Where have you been?'" Watts tells News24, explaining his decision to make his diagnosis public. "I generally don't like to say a lot about myself, but I thought, in this case, I had to say what was going on and how serious sepsis can be." Watts adds that after his diagnosis, learning about sepsis has been an "interesting journey" for him because he has "never really heard" of it and "wasn't sure what it was all about". After revealing his diagnosis, Watts shared an update. He had been home for four days and was "walking unsupported for short distances". On Tuesday, the investigative journalist was back in the hospital, but not for long. Click 'read more' for the full interview. |