UNBEATABLE

Sam Nicol, 24, from London, woke up one night feeling as if someone was stood on his chest...

- LAEA MARSHALL

Kneeling under a boiler, I peered up.

‘Yep, that’s going to need replacing soon,’ I said.

It was November 2016, and, working as a freelance heating engineer, I was rushed off my feet.

Getting up from the kitchen floor, I suddenly felt dizzy.

And as I busied myself picking up my tools, I started to feel strange.

My legs were aching and I was out of breath.

I also felt suddenly lethargic – I could barely move.

‘I think I’m coming down with something,’ I told my business partner. ‘We better make this our last call.’

Heading straight home, I crashed on the sofa.

‘Everything OK?’ my girlfriend Abbi, 24, asked.

‘I think I’m getting the flu,’ I said.

After a few hours, though, I felt back to my normal self.

‘I might go to kickboxing tonight,’ I said.

‘Just take it easy,’ Abbi replied.

Heading out to the gym, I felt fine.

But as soon as I was in the ring, kicking and punching with my opponent, the funny feeling came rushing back, and I was suddenly out of breath.

We’d only been going for a few minutes, but I simply had no energy.

Calling it a night, I figured Abbi was right – I probably had the flu and needed to take it easy.