A resident of Bucks County, who has been staying in an Irish hospital for months, is finally returning home after a prolonged illness. Sharifa Jackson wrote about the local man and his long journey for 6abc.

Matthew Small, who was dubbed “the sickest man in Ireland” by his doctors, is finally back home in Levittown after spending weeks in an Ireland ICU. Dozens of well-wishers came to welcome Small home after he nearly died from sepsis while abroad.

“Besides the fact that I lost a lot of weight due to the fact I was bedridden, I feel pretty close to normal,” he said.

Small took a Christmas trip with the family to Ireland in December. Within days, they all started to feel ill, but most of them recovered quickly. For Small, the fight was much longer and harder.

What was supposed to be a ten-day trip ended up lasting for three months, with weeks spent in the hospital. His diagnoses included strep, Influenza A, and pneumonia, which led to sepsis and multi-organ failure.

However while he was in hospital, his friends and family sent him well wishes of support and raised thousands of dollars through a GoFundMe campaign.

“The amount of people that reached out, total strangers, it revives your faith in humanity,” said Small.

Read more about Matthew Small and his journey at 6abc.

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