Imagine the fear: North Melbourne AFL star Paul Curtis faced a life-or-death battle far from home, a stark reminder of how quickly life can change. This is the story of his harrowing experience and the fight to save his career.
Paul Curtis, the 22-year-old North Melbourne star, experienced a medical emergency while on an overseas holiday. The ordeal began with a feeling of being unwell in London, which quickly escalated into a severe illness that threatened his life and his AFL career.
He was rushed from Bali to Perth for emergency surgery. Curtis shared with 7NEWS the urgency of the situation.
"They pretty much said I needed to be hospitalised right now," he said.
"And I was like, ooh."
Dr. Clay Golledge, an infectious diseases expert, described the situation as a "serious, very serious, life-threatening illness and he could have died from this."
But here's where it gets controversial... Curtis's health issues started even before he reached Bali. A bad flu turned into pneumonia after he landed in London. He sought medical help, but the care he received was questionable. He was turned away from a London hospital one day and returned the next day still struggling to breathe.
"I waited eight hours to get seen... I went up to the front desk and I said ‘guys, I can’t breathe’," Curtis recalled.
"I finally got seen and they just gave me some stronger meds. I was in there for 10 minutes and they said ‘you’re all good’."
Dr. Golledge called the level of care Curtis received in London “incredibly substandard.” He found it “reprehensible” that Curtis was cleared to fly to Bali with oral antibiotics.
Sixteen hours into his flight to Bali, Curtis had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics.
"I just swelled up, my face just puffed up, I had a rash all over my body," he said. "My feet swelled up so I couldn’t walk."
A Bali hospital finally diagnosed an empyema, a dangerous buildup of fluid and pus in his lungs. Despite treatment, the condition worsened, necessitating emergency surgery. Curtis was flown to Perth via a medivac plane for the operation.
"Ambulance all the way straight onto the airport strip, get wheeled off the ambulance, straight onto the place," he said. "Got all hooked up on oxygen and all the rest of it."
He underwent immediate surgery at Hollywood Hospital in Nedlands. Nearly a litre of pus was removed from his lung, and a tube was inserted to drain the infection. He remained hospitalized for another eight days.
Dr. Golledge emphasized the severity of the situation: "This was a serious life-threatening illness. He certainly well could have died if he didn’t have instant medical and surgical attention when he got here."
The ordeal took its toll on Curtis.
"I looked really skinny in the face, you could see the bones in my cheeks," he said. "I couldn’t walk more than 50 metres without getting tired and having to have a rest."
And this is the part most people miss... After a grueling three-month recovery, Curtis remarkably remains in contention to play in Round 1, just eight weeks after the ordeal. His focus throughout the ordeal was on his three-year-old son, Elijah.
Video calls from hospital kept him going.
"I’m missing dadda, I’m missing dadda," Curtis recalled. "He was showing me all his toys. I knew I had to be healthy first to provide for him. "It’s given me a good perspective on life, I guess, and how quickly things can change, and some things just aren’t in your control. I’m just so grateful for all the people who helped me get back to where I am now."
What do you think? Do you believe the medical care Curtis received in London was inadequate? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Did you know about the seriousness of empyema? Let's discuss.
