A dad-of-two's cracked tooth nearly cost him his life after doctors made a chilling discovery. Graham Bell and wife Sue were getting ready for a trip to Wales when Graham started experiencing a severe headache.

Sue also spotted that one side of Graham's face had begun to droop. The pair rushed to hospital in mid-March, where medics ruled out a stroke – but scans later showed a 3cm brain abscess.

Graham recalled: "It was a lot of information to take in a short time. I had the family around me, but I think we were all in a bit of shock. I was not well, so finding out what was going on quickly was key for all of us."

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Following the scans, Graham was sent to the Walton Centre in Fazakerley, Merseyside. Sue explained that when she realised the ambulance had taken her there, she "knew it was serious".

She added: "Graham was prepped for surgery right away. The team was so professional, but it was obvious that speed was of the essence."

Several days after his first A&E visit, Graham underwent emergency surgery to drain the abscess. This provided temporary relief, but within days his health started to deteriorate – sepsis had taken hold, reports the Liverpool Echo. He had to be rushed back into surgery to drain the abscess again.

"They gave me high doses of antibiotics to help tackle the infection," Graham recalled. "My clinical team worked to understand what was going on and found that the infection had actually come from an infection in a cracked tooth I had."

Graham had no inkling of the serious damage that a seemingly harmless crack in his tooth would bring. Although it's uncommon, dental infections can escalate and lead to brain abscesses.

"It was bizarre because I had no pain or swelling in my mouth to tell me there was something wrong," he said.

Following this second procedure, Graham spent six weeks in hospital receiving continuous, comprehensive care from a multidisciplinary team. The treatment significantly reduced the abscess, but he was left with cognitive difficulties due to scar tissue.

Last month, Graham underwent another assessment of his condition, which Sue described as "encouraging".

She continued: "He still has issues with communicating and moving around, but we're following the therapy and on our way to getting back to as close to normal as possible."

Sue said the couple where "incredibly grateful" for the Walton Centre for being there at Graham's hour of need.

"The hospital saved his life. For that there is nothing we can do to thank them enough," she said. "But as a family we can raise some money and give something back to support the outstanding care they give to patients every day."

Graham's children Rob and Aimee, along with friends, completed a sponsored 50k walk for the Walton Centre around the Wirral on June 21. At time of writing, they smashed their original fundraising target of £2,500 by more than £700. They collected £3,203 and continue to welcome donations – click here to make a contribution.