A man from East London has revealed how his unhealthy lifestyle almost killed him not once, but twice, before he managed to turn things around without weight loss jabs
Binge drinking, living on takeaways and enjoying a sedentary lifestyle were the norm for Michael Epstein his 20s and early 30s.
But his unhealthy lifestyle left him weighing 18 stone and facing death not once, but twice. Now aged 46 Michael, from Ilford, London, is thankful to be alive after two kidney transplants and then nearly dying from Covid.
After years of neglect, the entrepreneur was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2008 and endured dialysis for five gruelling years. “It was totally my fault as I treated my body terribly,” Michael tells The Mirror. “I was completely careless with my health.
“I never exercised, I ate all the wrong things and I was always out drinking,” he adds. “I just thought I was invincible. I didn’t think anything would catch up with me. Then it all did, at once. I was exhausted all the time, bloated, and just felt awful. Eventually I was told my kidneys were shutting down and I’d need to start dialysis immediately.”
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In 2014, he was given a lifeline – a new kidney from an 18-year-old male donor from Newcastle, who had died suddenly. “The hospital called me out of the blue and said ‘you’ve got to get here within the hour’. It was a relief for me but heartbreak for someone else’s family. I’ve always felt such deep gratitude for that gift.”
But just as Michael was starting to rebuild his life, he contracted the BK virus – a dangerous infection that can sometimes strike transplant patients and cause kidney failure.
Disaster struck again in January 2021 when, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Michael caught the virus and his oxygen levels fell to 30 per cent. He was put into an induced coma for three months and when he finally woke up in April 2021, he was covered in hair and barely able to walk.
“I looked like Tom Hanks in Castaway,” he laughs. “I had a massive beard, I couldn’t move, and I had to learn to walk again. My mum later told me she was scared to answer the phone because she thought every call was going to be the hospital saying I’d died.”
Michael was back on dialysis – four hours a day, three days a week – and his mental health was suffering badly. After receiving a second kidney transplant in June 2023 from a 35-year-old woman from South London, Michael felt like he had been ‘given one final chance’.
“I felt completely broken,” he said. “I was reading books just to stay sane during dialysis. I knew if I didn’t find some kind of purpose, I’d spiral. I thought I’ve eaten badly for most of my life. Maybe now’s the time to fix that and help others do the same.”
His near death experiences drove him to launch Datekin – a healthy snack that was inspired by Sukkari dates – caramel-tasting dates from Saudi Arabia, known for their high fibre, natural sugar and antioxidant-rich benefits.
“This brand was born from pain – but also purpose,” Michael explains. “I’ve been given a second, no – a third – shot at life. I want to make it count. I honestly never expected Datekin to take off so quickly. We started trialling it on the London Underground and people loved it. I think people really want better snack options.”
After losing six stone by cutting out takeaways, alcohol and exercising, Michael is now looking forward to marrying his fiancée, Kat Conway, next spring. Kat says: “Mike has been through so much with his health over the years and has kept such a positive and proactive outlook. We’ll be forever grateful to the two donors, and their families, without whom our life would be very different. For Mike to be in the place he is in today with his health and work is truly inspiring
Michael adds: “I used to treat my body like a bin. Now I think of it like a garden – I’m trying to nourish it. I want Datekin to inspire people to eat well, live better, and understand it’s never too late to change.”
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