EastEnders Spoilers: Denise Fox Fears She May Die in a Coma as Sepsis Battle Takes a Terrifying Turn

Denise Fox has been left fearing the worst in EastEnders after doctors warned that her battle with acute myeloid leukaemia has taken another devastating turn.

The Walford favourite, played by Diane Parish, is currently fighting for her life in hospital after developing sepsis during treatment for the aggressive form of blood cancer. In emotional scenes, Denise was placed into a medically induced coma and put on a ventilator, leaving her terrified that she may never wake up.

Her latest crisis has also forced Denise to confront the possibility that she could die before getting the chance to say goodbye to her family.

Denise Fox faces terrifying news in EastEnders

Denise's storyline has become increasingly heartbreaking since she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia earlier this year.

The character has already endured two rounds of intensive chemotherapy. Sadly, neither treatment produced the result doctors had hoped for, meaning the cancer has remained a serious threat to her health.

A stem cell transplant has been identified as the next potential stage of her treatment. However, before that can happen, Denise must first overcome another life-threatening complication.

Her condition deteriorated after an infection developed into sepsis. Doctors explained that she needed urgent intensive care and respiratory support.

The situation became particularly frightening when Denise was told that she would need to be placed into a medically induced coma.

The consultant explained that sedation and ventilation were necessary to give her body the best possible chance of fighting the infection.

For Denise, however, the news was terrifying.

She asked whether the sepsis could become worse while she was unconscious and whether there was a possibility that she might never wake up. Although the doctor acknowledged that this was possible, Denise was also told that ventilation would greatly improve her chances of survival.

Denise cannot face saying goodbye

The emotional impact of the news was clear as Denise and Jack Branning struggled to process what was happening.

Jack wanted to make sure their family could be close to Denise during such a frightening moment. However, Denise was overwhelmed by the possibility that her condition could deteriorate.

She admitted that she could not bring herself to see the children because she did not want the meeting to feel like a final goodbye.

Her words revealed just how frightened she had become.

Denise later asked Jack to make sure her children knew how much she loved them. She also discussed practical matters, including the location of her will, before being taken into intensive care.

Jack remained by her side as doctors prepared her for sedation.

The scenes were especially emotional as he held Denise's hand and reassured her that he loved her while she was put into the medically induced coma.

For a character who has spent years dealing with complicated family dramas, Denise's current storyline represents one of her most vulnerable moments.

A long-lost relative could hold the key to Denise's survival

Despite the devastating hospital developments, there is still a possible glimmer of hope for Denise.

While Denise was fighting for her life, Kim Fox made an extraordinary discovery using an ancestry website.

Kim discovered that Denise has a previously unknown half-brother. Even more remarkably, the mystery relative could potentially be a stem cell match for Denise.

The revelation gave Jack and Chelsea Fox a reason to hope that Denise's situation might not be as hopeless as it currently appears.

A suitable stem cell donor could potentially allow Denise to move forward with the next phase of her cancer treatment.

However, there is a major question hanging over the storyline.

Can Denise's family find her long-lost half-brother in time?

And if they locate him, will testing confirm that he is genuinely a suitable match?

Will Denise survive?

The storyline leaves Denise's future in Walford uncertain.

EastEnders has not confirmed that Denise will die, and her medically induced coma does not automatically mean that the character's story is coming to an end.

In fact, the discovery of her potential half-brother provides an important storyline that could give the character another chance.

However, the immediate danger remains extremely serious.

Denise is currently battling sepsis while also dealing with the effects of aggressive cancer treatment. Her family can only wait and hope that the treatment works and that she wakes from the coma.

The possibility of a stem cell match adds another layer of suspense. Even if the family manages to locate Denise's half-brother, there is no guarantee that he will be medically suitable or that the process will happen quickly enough.

That uncertainty is likely to keep viewers guessing about what comes next.

What happens next in EastEnders?

The next stage of Denise's storyline is expected to focus on her condition in intensive care and the search for the mysterious relative who could potentially save her life.

Jack, Chelsea and the rest of Denise's family will have to cope with the possibility that she may not recover while also trying to find a donor.

The discovery of a half-brother has already transformed the storyline, turning what appeared to be a devastating situation into one containing a small possibility of hope.

For Denise, though, the immediate battle is simply to survive.

Her fear that she could die without saying goodbye to her children has made this one of the most emotional chapters of her cancer storyline so far.

Whether Denise wakes from the coma, whether her long-lost relative can be found and whether he is a stem cell match remain major questions for EastEnders viewers.

Fans will have to keep watching to discover whether Denise can overcome sepsis, continue her cancer treatment and eventually return to Walford.

Source: Metro