Singer Landy Wen discharged from hospital and reveals battle with death due to septic shock

Taiwanese singer Landy Wen has recounted her close brush with death after she suffered from septic shock in May.

The 46-year-old underwent 11 days of treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) before she was transferred to the general ward. She has since been discharged and took to social media on June 2 to update fans on her condition.

“What I initially thought was just a common cold turned into a tug-of-war with death while I was in a state of semi-consciousness, as I experienced the most harrowing ordeal of my life,” she wrote in Chinese.

“In the early hours of May 14, I felt excruciating abdominal pain, which was accompanied by cold sweats and weakness. I was due to fly to Shanghai that day to prepare for a concert rehearsal, so I quickly contacted my manager to change my flight to a later one.”

Wen thought she would feel better after resting for a while, but her condition worsened rapidly.

“I discovered that I had a 2cm kidney stone after being rushed to the hospital’s emergency department for an X-ray and CT scan,” she wrote.

“The stone was encased in a pus-filled abscess that was blocking my urinary tract, causing severe infection. The bacteria rapidly entered my bloodstream, triggering systemic sepsis, which then developed into septic shock.”

The doctor informed her family that her blood pressure had dropped to the 60s and her viral load had exceeded 300,000 after she was admitted to hospital.

“My condition was extremely critical as multiple organ functions were affected,” she wrote. “They said that emergency dialysis was required.”

Wen said she tried her best to stay conscious, but she felt very weak and was in excruciating pain.

“I was later sent to the ICU for emergency treatment, but the nurses couldn’t find my vein,” she said. “In the end, they had to administer vasopressors, antibiotics and an IV drip via my neck.”

Wen’s body was covered in tubes, and the rhythmic beeping of the monitoring equipment filled her ears.

“A high fever, pain, weakness and confusion intertwined, leaving me unable to tell day from night,” she said. “I experienced unprecedented fear during that time. I truly felt for the first time how close death could be.”

She added: “During my 11 days in the ICU, I realised that things I had once taken for granted – breathing, eating, getting out of bed and walking – were actually incredibly precious. Every single day felt like a battle.”

Wen said the experience made her realise deeply that good health is not something to be taken for granted.

“I always thought I could tough it out in the past, ignoring the warning signs my body was sending me – until I truly faced a life-or-death situation and realised just how fragile life is,” she added.

“To be able to breathe again, to walk again, to be reunited with my family – these are all such precious blessings.”

Wen said she felt both lingering fear and gratitude when she looked back at her time in hospital.

“This battle with death has taught me to value my health and truly appreciate every single day,” she added. “For I know that simply being alive and well is a blessing in itself.”

Wen is known for songs such as Summer Breeze (2004), Wish Me Happy Birthday (2004) and Hot Wave (2007).

She rose to fame after performing the romantic duet Rooftop (1999) with Taiwanese singer-host Jacky Wu. She later performed the song with Taiwanese singer Jay Chou for her second album A Little Wild (2001).