Warwick Davis attended the premiere of his latest TV series Willow with his family - just three years after he and his two children all gathered to say goodbye to his wife.
The 52-year-old British actor is taking on the main role in the Disney+ show, after playing Willow 34 years ago in the 1988 film of the same name.
Willow follows the story of an unlikely band of heroes who set off on a dangerous quest, battling obstacles and inner demons along the way. It serves as a sequel to the 80s movie.
Davis was happy to be able to attend the Los Angeles premiere alongside his daughter, son, and wife of 31 years, Samantha - who had to undergo life-saving emergency surgery in 2019. Earlier that year, Samantha's health drastically declined ahead of a highly-anticipated family caravan vacation.
Speaking to The Sun in July, Davis recounted Samantha's condition ahead of the trip, saying that she had simply put her symptoms - which included itchiness and exhaustion - down to over-exertion in anticipation of the vacation. However, when she was eventually unable to stand, Davis decided to call a doctor.
"By now, Sam was feeling absolutely terrible. She was becoming drowsy, weak and hadn't been to the toilet in over 24 hours. Fortunately for us, our doctor recognized Sam's symptoms and told us to head to A+E immediately with a suspected case of sepsis," the Harry Potter actor recalled.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sepsis is the body's "extreme response" to an infection. It occurs when an existing infection prompts a chain reaction in the body and can often start in the skin, gastrointestinal tract, lung, or urinary tract. It's a serious condition that can lead to amputations, cause organ failure, and even death.
It is thought that Samantha's sepsis stemmed from a scar that she had from prior spinal surgery that became "inflamed with fluid, red, and hot to touch." In other words, it became seriously infected.
When the fluid was tested, it came back positive for group A Streptococcus bacteria and meningitis infection, with medical professionals telling Davis that urgent surgery was needed or his wife could die.
"Our family gathered by her bedside; although optimistic, we were sort of saying goodbye in case Sam didn't survive," Davis recounted, "It's so hard to see someone you love more than anything in the world fighting to stay alive without the strength to even roll over in bed. Doctors told me the infection had ravaged every cell in her body causing depletion to vital vitamin and mineral levels."
The father-of-two - who was born with a rare genetic form of dwarfism, as does his wife and two children - added that he "broke down" daily while his wife battled sepsis.
"I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me. To this day Sam still feels the effects of sepsis and some PTSD from her experience. If I'm completely honest, I do too. We never take life for granted now, living each day as if it were our last. I appreciate and cherish every moment that Sam and I spend together," he said.
With all that being said, it is amazing to see the family looking so happy on the red carpet!
