Clive Barker is recovering from a near fatal case of toxic shock syndrome. The British author, film director, and artist detailed his recent brush with death in a series of tweets earlier today. “My friends, Clive here,” Barker wrote. “I’m at home now after a while in hospital, thanks to a nearly fatal case of Toxic Shock brought on by a visit to my dentist. Apparently this is not uncommon. In my case the dental work unloaded such a spillage of poisonous bacteria into my blood that my whole system crashed, putting me into a coma. I spent several days in Intensive Care,with a machine breathing for me. Later, my Doctors said that they had not anticipated a happy ending until I started to fight, repeatedly pulling out the tubes that I was constantly gagging on. After a few days of nightmarish delusions I woke up to my life again, tired, twenty pounds lighter but happy to be back from a very dark place. And here in the world I intend to stay.”
The prolific Barker’s works include Books of Blood — a six volume set of short stories — and the films Hellraiser and Lord of Illusions. Barker concluded by tweeting, “I’ve books to write, films to make and paintings to paint. I seem to have come home with my sight clearer somehow, and my sense of purpose intensified. Thank you all for your messages.”
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