Fife man who dumbfounded doctors by surviving infection graduates from university
William Murphy was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis in 2012.
Last updated 13th Jul 2021
A Fife man who dumbfounded doctors by surviving a rare bacterial infection has now graduated from university.
William Murphy was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis in 2012.
It saw his body temperature rise to 44 celsius within hours.
The 52-year-old now has a law degree from Abertay Uni, something he could never have imagined at the peak of disease.
"I couldn't see the next day. I didn't have suicidal tendencies, I wanted to die but I just thought don't wake up, just go to sleep, I can't take this no more.
"The doctor said she didn't know how I was still alive." "I shouldn't have been here."
After extensive surgery to remove the infection, William said the road to recovery was a long one.
"I went into a dark, dark place mental health wise. I realised I was human, that I could die, that I could get something wrong with me," he added.
"Up until that point I had went through my life playing sports, playing rugby. I was the life and soul of the party."
The Cowdenbeath man who left school at 15 with no qualifications also battled an alcohol addiction and decided to pursue his love of law.
"The drink about killed me, I was that bad with the depression and the anxiety. I thought I've always been fascinated by law and human rights," he added.
"I did an access course at college, where I discovered I had dyslexia. I got into a help program to study an HNC at Fife College.
"During my first two days I fell in love with it. I managed to get a B+ and I had a choice of universities to study at, including Edinburgh and Abertay University."
During his time studying William had to overcome the death of his dad. He's now graduated from Abertay University with a 2:2 and remains sober.