Irukandji Sting

Cousin's research saves Yorkshire man from death by jellyfish sting

A YORKSHIRE man who was seconds from death after being stung by a jellyfish in Australia survived after being treated with a revolutionary new antidote ñ which had been developed by his cousin.

Tim Saxon, 23, from Worsbrough Dale in Barnsley, was stung twice on the arms by the peanut-sized Irukandji jellyfish ñ the same species that is believed to have killed Driffield businessman Richard Jordan, 58, last year while diving off the Australian coast.

Within minutes of Mr Saxon being stung his body had become paralysed and his heart rate had slowed down to just five beats per minute. Doctors at Cairns Hospital in Australia tried desperately to save him but all treatments proved futile ñ until someone remembered a new drug tried out just once before.

Within seconds of being given the magnesium-based antidote Mr Saxon's heartbeat began to pick up. A week later he is now back at his Australian apartment and is expected to make a good recovery.

But it was only on phoning his Australian cousin, marine-biologist Maya Stranivasan, 30, that he found out she had played an integral part in saving his life ñ her research had helped develop the drug.

Mr Saxon's father John, 52, said it was not the first time he had caused them serious concern. Last October his son, who is half-way through a year-long round-the-world trip, was again in intensive care in Australia after being run over by a bull as he tried to round up cattle.

Now his family are praying the rest of his trip, which is due to end in July, goes off more peacefully.

Mr Saxon Snr said: "He does cause us concern, naturally, but he has to live his life. Tim rang Maya shortly after he had been stung and she said to him that if he had been stung a month before he would have been dead because the treatment was still being developed.

"At that point it hadn't even been released to the hospital. Tim is only the second person in the world to have received the treatment."

Mr Saxon, who was videoing the aquatic life, had been diving at the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast when he felt an object brush across his arms and lower chest.

Looking down he saw the tiny jellyfish but thought nothing of it and carried on with his dive. "He saw it and the only thought he had was how beautiful it looked and how much he would like to video it," added his father.

"Never once did he think how deadly it was, or that he could have been stung. Then he started to get an intense pain in his spine and the crew pulled him out of the water onto the boat deck.

"Within minutes he was totally paralysed, not even able to shut his eyes."

The emergency services airlifted him to a hospital 35 miles away.

But doctors soon found themselves stumped after realising no anti-venom had ever been developed to counteract the jellyfish sting. The next best thing was the magnesium drip.

Three holidaymakers including Mr Jordan, who was on an around-the-world trip with his wife, have died in the past two years after being stung by Irukandji jellyfish in Australia.

Mr Jordan brushed against the transparent jellyfish while swimming near Hamilton Island in northern Queensland, apparently triggering existing problems with his heart. His death is thought to be the first known fatality of its kind.

Now Mr Saxon Snr is appealing for more research to be done to develop an antidote.

14 March 2003

The above article is from the Yorkshire Post and was one of the many bits of media coverage which appeared after my ordeal.  Other articles were in the Diver, Sun, Cairns Post, Barnsley Chronicle, BBC Online and many others.

If anyone wants to contact me then email me at tim@timsaxon.co.uk

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