WARWICK Davis’ wife Samantha Davis has sadly died of sepsis, aged 53.
Samantha had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism.
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Samantha Davis was born Samantha D. Burroughs on January 30, 1971.
The actress is known for her roles in Through the Dragon’s Eye, ShortFellas and Honky Sausages.
INCREDIBLE LOVE STORY
She met Warwick when he was just 17-years-old, when he had already starred as Ewok Wicket in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
He then landed the lead role in Willow, opposite Val Kilmer, and Samantha was the 16-year-old daughter of co-star Peter Burroughs.
She secured a role as an extra in the film and the pair quickly fell in love, dating for four years before tying the knot in 1991.
In a heartwarming birthday message, Sam once highlighted their unique romance with a tribute to her “beautiful inside and out” husband.
She wrote: “You are the bravest, most caring and sensitive person I know.
“You amaze us all everyday with your courage and strength. I love you to the moon and back. Always and forever yours.”
To mark her birthday, Warwick also tweeted a tribute to his “beautiful wife”.
He added: “I so admire how she faces life’s challenges with dignity, energy & courage – she’s an inspiration.”
‘That kind of stuff just makes you stronger’
Samantha leaves behind two children with Warwick, who have both followed their parents into the world of acting.
Warwick was born with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), an extremely rare genetic form of dwarfism, which has been inherited by both their daughter Annabelle and son Harrison.
Their dad has previously spoken movingly about how the combination of both his and Samantha’s conditions have resulted in the deaths of two of their babies.
The first, Lloyd, sadly died after nine days as his lungs were too small to support normal function.
What is sepsis?
Typically, when a person suffers a minor cut, the area surrounding the wound will become red, swollen and warm to touch.
This is evidence the body’s immune system has kicked into action, releasing white blood cells to the site of the injury to kill off the bacteria causing the infection.
The white blood cells and platelets form blood clots in the tissues around the cut.
Blood vessels swell to allow more blood to flow, and they become leaky, allowing infection-fighting cells to get out of the blood and into the tissues where they are needed.
This causes inflammation, which appears to us as the red, warm swelling.
When sepsis happens, this system goes into overdrive.
The inflammation that is typically seen just around the minor cut, spreads through the body, affecting healthy tissue and organs.
The immune system – the body’s defence mechanism – overreacts and the result is it attacks the body.
It can lead to organ failure and septic shock, which can prove fatal.
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can all trigger sepsis – though the most dangerous culprit is bacteria.
In developing nations, the condition remains a leading cause of death.
Known by its colloquial name “blood poisoning”, sepsis is also often referred to as a “flesh-eating disease”.
They also lost another son, George, when Samantha was 19 weeks pregnant.
“Prior to Annabelle and Harrison we had a baby boy, Lloyd, who inherited both our conditions… and that is something that proves fatal,” he told Bear Grylls in a 2019 TV special.
“It’s something that a baby won’t survive. But Lloyd survived for nine days, but yeah he was beautiful.”
“It was a tough time. And yeah, we had a stillborn too.”
Warwick insisted the tragedies brought him closer to his wife, and said: “That kind of stuff just makes you stronger.”
Life-long health battles
Warrick has previously opened up about his wife’s health after she was rushed to hospital with sepsis in 2018.
The actor told The Sun that her health dramatically declined ahead of a family caravan holiday.
He spoke of the horror a few years later and said: “The next few hours were the longest of my life as I waited on the ward with our children in the empty space left by Sam’s hospital bed.
“I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her.”
What are the signs of sepsis you should never ignore?
If you, a loved one, or in the case of medical professionals their patient, feels “severely sick”, doesn’t appear to be themselves and shows any of the following symptoms, sepsis should be suspected:
Weakness
– Loss of appetite
– Fever and chills
– Thirst
– Difficult or rapid breathing
– Rapid heart rate
– Low blood pressure
– Low urine output
If a person is suffering these symptoms and they are thought to have suffered an infection – pneumonia, abdominal infection, urinary infection, or a wound – sepsis is a likely cause.
Sam had numerous operation in her life-time due to her condition.
It is thought she contracted sepsis after a decompression surgery on her spine.
Samantha said previously: “We went home a week later and suddenly I couldn’t feel my legs. I thought I was still recovering from the surgery so I went to bed, but the next day I felt awful, as though I had been hit by a truck.
“I stayed in bed all day while Warwick and Harrison went to a family party and the next morning I woke at 4am feeling even worse.
“As the day went on I couldn’t concentrate, I lay on the sofa and when I tried to get up I collapsed on the floor.”
Meanwhile, Warwick, co-founder of charity Little People UK, has often spoken out about the health battles related to his condition, as well his wife’s.
He told the Guardian in 2015: “You look at somebody with dwarfism, the first thing that strikes you is probably that they’re short, and that’s it. But that’s the tip of the iceberg.
“It gets worse. Could be a cleft palate, hearing loss – or you end up in a wheelchair.”
Diagnosed with SED at birth, Warwick’s parents were told he would never walk and would be dead by his teens.
The star endured painful operations on his legs and feet throughout childhood.
“As you get older, it gets worse,” he said. “My hips are dislocated. Very painful knees.
“There’s a risk of retinal detachment, but I know the signs now. And then, yeah, you wake up, the alarm goes, it takes a good half hour to get moving, we’re both like, ‘Uggggh.’ Imagine the worst flu you’ve had, every day – it’s like that.”
Samantha’s struggles
- Samantha and Warwick lost their baby Lloyd just nine days after he was born in 1991 after inheriting dwarfism from both his parents caused complications.
- The couple lost a second child when Samantha miscarried at 20 weeks in 1993, with the couple naming the baby George.
- Samantha suffered another two miscarriages before giving birth to Annabelle and Harrison.
- The actress underwent numerous surgeries in her lifetime due to Samantha her achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism.
- In 2019, she was raced to hospital after complications following a decompression surgery on her spine.
- She had contracted life-threatening sepsis and Warwick was preparing himself to say ‘goodbye’.
- The infection causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive and attack tissues and organs, which can be lethal and lead to amputations.
- Sam survived but had it not been for her medical team acting so quickly, she could have lost fingers, toes or limbs.
- After being discharged, Warwick ‘played doctor’ for three months – mixing vials of antibiotics, loading them into syringes and carefully feeding them into Sam’s heart through a drip.
- In March 2024, it was announced Samantha had sadly passed away from sepsis.
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