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What Happened To Dan?

A few days after the piercing Dan said he felt off, he was attending college at this time but was generally
feeling unwell. After a night out with friends, Dan took to his bed. The next day a doctor was called out.
The doctor was a locum as our GP was on holiday. He had never seen Dan before and wasn't familiar with
Dan's medical history he didn't examine Daniel and diagnosed gastroenteritis as he told us Dan had got
food poisoning. After 48hrs another doctor was called out also a locum who on examination, immediatly
admitted Dan to the Northern General Hospital.Dan was assessed in the A&E department and was later
transfered into the Intensive Care Unit. We were told by the ITC doctors that Daniel was very seriously ill and
suffering from Septicaemia. We were told at this point that Dan only had a 5% chance of recovery.The doctors
needed to know why and how he developed Septicaemia and if Dan had been exposed to anything. We
told the doctors about Dan's lip piercing which he had had two weeks earlier.The doctors were certain the
Septicaemia was a direct result of the piercing. Despite the devastating and bleak news we never gave up
believing that Dan would pull through. Daniel was a fighter and he fought against all the odds to recover.
After two weeks fighting for his life and making significant progress he was then transferred onto the
Coronary Care Unit. Daniel had a very serious heart condition which was giving the doctors serious
cause for concern. This and the ongoing Septicaemia was affecting Dan's recovery.

After several weeks in the Northern General Hospital, the doctors were concerned that despite their best
efforts Dan was still extremely poorly. They decided to transfer Dan to Papworth Hospital in Cambridge
who specialise in heart transplants. Doctors hoped that a transplant might help to save Dan's life.
Unfortunately Daniel was too weak to undergo any surgery which was deemed inappropriate as Dan had lost
a lot of weight by this time and was still fighting the Septicaemia.The doctors here decided to transfer Dan to
Leeds General Infirmary. It was in Leeds that Dan had had all his care for his heart condition while he was
growing up. Here Dan spent his last days with the doctors who knew him best and was well looked
after by the I.C.U staff in the heart unit here and they did everything they could for him. Unfortunately Dan
deteriorated very quickly and despite their very best efforts sadly there wasn't anything more the doctors
could do. Everyone was exhausted, devastated and completely heartbroken. Daniel had lost his fight for life.
It was then that the doctors concluded that Daniel had died after developing Septicaemia, a very
severe form of blood poisoning, which attacks the body and left Dan to weak to fight the infection.

Despite his heart condition, Daniel was a very healthy active teenager, who lived life to the full.
If he had been made more aware of all the health risks at the time, he would certainly still be here with
us today. Daniel had a right to know these risks and should have had a piercer who respected him as an
individual. The piercer should also have spent time going through a very indepth questionaire with him.
The piercer should also have spent time explaining the procedure thoroughly and should have given Dan
good comprehensive aftercare advice both written and verbally. Also a follow up appointment for an
aftercare check up should have been made before Daniel left the premises.
Unfortunately none of these things took place and Dan was never considered

Dan was fully aware of his heart condition and wouldn't have put himself at risk at any cost.
He wasn't one to follow the crowd he was his own person with his own sense of style and individuality.
He was a very bright and intelligent young man with his whole life ahead of him. He had everything to live for.
He was studying his A levels at college and was part of a local up and coming band. Dan was enjoying life.
Dan was an ordinary teenage lad just doing what hundreds of kids do everyday.
Dan was just so loved he will be sorely missed. Dan was a friend to everyone
This has devastated everyone who knew Dan especially close family
and friends, who are finding it so hard to come to terms with.
How and why can a simple lip piercing have resulted in this awful tragedy?

The Coroner was informed and we had to wait nearly three long years for
Daniel's Inquest the jury returned a verdict of death by Misadventure.

There is still a misconception by many people that body piercing is a simple straight forward procedure
which is very worrying. It was reffered to at Dan's inquest as a minor operation. For some people a body
piercing will be a very traumatic experience and this is why we are campaigning. There is not enough
awareness about the health risks associated with this practice. Many piercers are not practising safely
and because of the little legislation that is in place this will always pose real and very valid concerns.
Many we know will pierce children regardless of their age and this cannot be acceptable.
Young people also have a right to know all the facts.

Daniel's death has highlighted the worrying aspects of body piercing and we are hopeful
that lessons will be learned to improve the industry and remove the ignorance. Also training
through education courses will help to make the body piercing industry more controlled and safe.
Government guidelines must be made compulsory to reduce the risk of this happening again.

Daniel Thomas Hindle Anderson died on the 21st of December 2002
Dan was just 17yrs old, he would have been 18 on the 29th of April 2003.
A birthday we were all looking forward to celebrating. Sadly this wasn't to be.
Daniel had his lip pierced at Body Poppers in Sheffield, in October 2002.
Within eight weeks of having it done Daniel was dead, the cause – Septicaemia.