Do you remember Lisa Vanderpump’s nephew, Sam Vanderpump? He followed in his aunt’s footsteps by entering the world of reality TV in the latest season of Made in Chelsea. Well, poor Sam almost lost his life after a terrifying battle with sepsis. He just shared his story, and he’s thanking his quick-thinking girlfriend for getting him to the hospital when she did.
A case of the flu turned into a near-death experience for Lisa Vanderpump’s nephew, Sam Vanderpump
For context, Sam is the youngest son of Mark Vanderpump, Lisa’s older brother who unexpectedly passed away in 2018. In an interview with Daily Mail, Sam explained how what started as the flu escalated into a life-threatening emergency.
The 27-year-old said he spent days in bed suffering from dehydration and back pain after battling the flu. His girlfriend decided to call an ambulance when he started acting “delirious.” At the hospital, he learned that his situation was much more serious than he thought. He contracted sepsis, and his organs were failing.
“I remember the doctor saying to me that I was going into liver and kidney failure. I burst into tears,” Sam explained.
Sam said, “I thought I was going to die. I didn’t think my body could cope and that was the scariest thing. It was terrifying.”
According to the reality star, doctors predicted that if he spent another 24 hours without going to the hospital, he would have died. He credits his girlfriend, 23-year-old model Alice Yaxley, for saving his life by calling an ambulance when she did.
“The words they used for the function of my liver were ‘deranged’ and ‘demonic,’ he continued. “You don’t feel your organs normally but when they stop working and because my liver and kidneys weren’t working my heart was in overdrive, my pancreas was struggling, my spleen wasn’t well…”
At the hospital, doctors spent the first 48 hours struggling to get the infection under control. Then, he spent another seven days on antibiotics and anti-fungal treatments. He contracted jaundice, and his normal six-pack faded away as his stomach inflated with liquid. He shared photos from the hospital, and seriously, it looked gnarly.
Sam has a new lease on life
On Christmas Eve, Sam was discharged from the hospital, and he’s doing better today. When reflecting on the experience, he explained how dormant kidney and liver disease caused his condition to escalate the way it did. When he got the flu, his immune system couldn’t keep up, causing a perfect storm of problems.
“I have checkups every six months and have been told I am healthy, and my liver function is good, and I should live my life normally. They are 75 percent sure it was having the flu, which made my immune system weak, the disease, which also weakened my system, and everything happening at the same time,” Sam explained.
Moving forward, Sam says the experience has changed his outlook on life. In the next season of Made in Chelsea, he plans on speaking about the experience. It’s also inspired him to cut down on his partying.
“This has given me a new outlook on life. In the past, I have used my free time to party and drink and be crazy but now I am going to use my free time very differently. I am currently planning a charity event with Made In Chelsea, which will be featured on the show.”
TELL US – DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON SAM’S TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE? ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING MORE OF HIS STORY ON MADE IN CHELSEA?
