HE OWES his life to a machine that did the work of his heart and lungs when his body was attacked by the swine flu virus.

Now Hampshire’s former England Under-21 rugby player Charles Gardiner has helped raise money for an ECMO machine – which provides external cardiac and respiratory support oxygen – which saved his life.

Prior to going down with swine flu in October 2009, Charles won awards for his sporting achievements.

He captained the Hampshire U16 rugby squad, played for the England squad and was attached to the London Irish Rugby Club and he picked up the Hampshire Outstanding Sportsperson of the Year Award in 2004.

But in October 2009, he was admitted to Salisbury District Hospital with swine flu. His condition deteriorated and he was rushed into the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Despite being put on a life support machine, Charles didn’t respond to treatment and medical experts referred him to a specialist isolation unit at Glenfield Hospital in Leicestershire.

Dad Neil said: “Doctors at Salisbury told us there was nothing more they could do and advised us to prepare for the worst. They didn’t expect him to live.”

A specialist team of doctors from Glenfield flew to Salisbury to accompany Charles in a land ambulance on the journey to Leicestershire. In the ambulance he made history as the first adult to be put on a portable ECMO machine.

“His heart stopped on the way but they managed to get it going again. His heart stopped three times after that during his 14 weeks in Glenfield Hospital. In the end doctors fitted a pacemaker,” added Neil.

Despite being placed on the ECMO machine at Glenfield Hospital, Charles remained in a critical condition and was kept on full-life support for ten days. His condition improved and he was taken off the ECMO but had to go back on the machine when his health deteriorated again.

He stayed on the machine until November 12 when he had shown positive signs of recovering from the swine flu but remained in the intensive care unit until he was transferred back to Salisbury District Hospital 11 days later.

Charles, 25, 6ft 6ins and weighing 18 stone before his brush with death, has made a remarkable recovery, said his father.

Two nurses, Gail Faulkner and Megan Greatrix, from the Glenfield Hospital, attended a charity ball in Romsey to help raise funds for ECMO and raise awareness about the life-saving machines. The ball raised £8,745 and was attended by 155 friends and family.

Charles, who went to schools in Romsey when he lived at Sherfield English, now lives at Highcliffe in Dorset and is a sales executive with Westover Land Rover.