LUCKY to be alive Black Country MP Mike Wood, an avid campaigner for Brexit, was determined not to miss last night's key Article 50 vote - despite still battling back from deadly sepsis.

The Dudley South Conservative MP spent three weeks in hospital after falling gravely ill in January after announcing the green light had been given for a new multi-million pound enterprise zone for Brierley Hill.

Just the day after welcoming the government's communities secretary Sajid Javid MP to The Waterfront to confirm the news that will bring a jobs boost to the borough - he was taken to Russells Hall Hospital where he was hit with the news he had sepsis - which can lead to multiple organ failure if not treated quickly.

He said: "If the doctor there had not realised it was sepsis, rather than meningitis as first thought, then I almost certainly would not have survived."

Mr Wood, who turns 41 on Friday, had ploughed on with work commitments despite suffering from a sore throat and feeling dreadful but his wife Laura realised something was seriously wrong and took him to the urgent care walk-in centre.

So advanced was the life-threatening condition that he suffered septic shock which triggered pneumonia, kidney failure and a suspected aborted heart attack.

Doctors put him into a medically-induced coma and on life support, on dialysis and a ventilator - and at one point he says his parents were told he had just a ten per cent chance of survival.

But he managed to beat the odds and has made a miraculous recovery - although he still has a way to go before he'll be fully up and running again.

He said: "I was extremely fortunate to survive, thanks to the amazing treatment and care that I received from the doctors and nurses at Russells Hall Hospital.

"I am making a good recovery. My kidneys have fully repaired themselves and there is no damage to my heart or other organs."

He even managed to present himself at Westminster yesterday to vote on the EU (Notice of Withdrawal) Bill.

The father-of-two, who lives in Stourbridge, said: "I missed the vote on Second Reading because I was in a coma on life support and I missed Third Reading because I was still in intensive care, so this was my last chance to vote to implement the decision taken by voters last June - including just over 70 per cent of voters in Dudley South."

But unable to drive or commute alone, he was driven to London by friends and taken in a wheelchair into Parliament where government and opposition whips had to determine whether he could vote if unable to sit through the entire night's proceedings.

He said: "I was wheeled into a room with the government pairing whip and Labour's deputy whip and they agreed I was there and alive but clearly not well so they just add you to the list."

The EU Withdrawal Bill, paving the way for the government to trigger Article 50 so the UK can leave the EU, was eventually passed late on Monday without amendments after the House of Lords backed down over issues around EU residency rights and whether Parliament should have a veto on the terms of Britain's exit.

Mr Wood, who was the only Black Country MP to vote for Brexit, is now keen to see things move forward swiftly. He said: "It was right that we made sure the preparations were in place before we implement Article 50 so we can negotiate the best deal for Britain outside the EU but there's nothing more to be gained from further delays. I'm looking forward to Theresa May triggering Article 50 in the next couple of weeks."

In the meantime, Mr Wood - who received a handwritten letter and chocolates on Valentine's Day from the Prime Minister wishing him a speedy recovery - is slowly trying to resume his duties and has even been out on the campaign trail with the Conservative Party's West Midlands Mayor hopeful Andy Street (pictured below).

Stourbridge News:

But - only able to walk short distances at present - he admits he has a long road ahead to full fitness and he said: "I'm certainly not looking to be back in Parliament before Easter."

He is currently working from home but he stressed: "I'm keeping fully up-to-date with what's going on and my office in Wordsley is carrying on as normal - if people need help they can email or call or drop in to the office where my case workers will assist."