Reading goalkeeper Harvey Collins has spoken out on the ‘scariest moment of his life’- his battle with sepsis.

Sepsis, blood poisoning which comes from detecting infection, is a life-threatening condition that can often lead to death.

The 20-year-old is yet to make a professional appearance for his boyhood club, but was on the bench regularly under Veljko Paunovic, and impressed in a loan spell at Walton Casuals.

Looking like potentially knocking on the door at the back end of last season, his life changed in April after noticing his throat get sore.

“April 20 was when I went into hospital,” he started. “A few days before that I had a sore throat, that’s all it started from. I didn’t think too much of it. I was on loan at the time, to Walton Casuals, and it was over the Easter weekend, so we played Saturday and Monday. After the game on Saturday, I felt fine, but over the weekend it got worse and worse. By Sunday, I was hardly able to swallow anything and didn’t drink anything or eat. I could barely move.

Reading Chronicle:

“I told the gaffer I was not well but there was no sub keeper, so I played on the Monday and had the game of my life. For the next two days I was bedbound and said to my mum that if it didn’t clear up by tomorrow [Wednesday] I would go to a doctor. I woke up at 4am and was drenched in sweat. I said to my mum that she might need to call an ambulance. The paramedics came to my house, and they took my blood pressure, which was ridiculously low- 70 over 40- less than half of what it was supposed to be.

“One of the paramedics took my temperature and it was 41 degrees. When I was in hospital, I had a lot of spare time and googled it; if you type 41 degrees body temperature it comes up with death and brain damage. I lost 12 kilos in two weeks, eating away at my body. They put 14 litres of fluid into me in the first 24 hours. It was so busy in the hospital I didn’t even have a room, just a bed in the corridor. It wasn’t just sepsis I had- I had lung, kidney, and heart failure. In hospital they gave me a 40 per cent chance of living, so the odds were really against me.”

Determined to fight the odds, Collins spent two weeks in hospital before a three-month recovery spell at home, during which he had special visitors from the football club.

“Noel Hunt was the first one to come and see me in the hospital and cheer me up,” he beamed. “The goalkeeper coach, sports scientist and psychologist all came to see me. I remember having a phone call with Michael Gilkes for about an hour and a half, just making sure I was alright and not rushing back. It was really nice to hear, as in that state you’re not sure what’s going to happen.”

Reading Chronicle:

Now seven months on, and more than 12 kilos heavier, Collins is back in full training and has set his sights on playing matches again- something he was told would not be possible.

“I’m back training now, which is really good. I’m not sure when games are starting to become available to me, but I should be back fit before the end of the year which is really good. In ICU one of the cardiologists came in and said I would never play football again and that I should start wrapping my head around it and what I’m going to do. I remember my mum and dad being in tears, it was a horrible time. There was something in my where I knew I was going to be back.”