An entrepreneur who had his arms and legs amputated at the age of 19 due to a life-threatening blood infection insists there is no one path to success.

Tom Nash was still a teenager when he contracted meningococcal septicemia, a form of blood poisoning where bacteria eats away at the blood vessels, causing internal bleeding of the skin and organs.

The Sydney teen lost both of his arms at the elbow, both of his legs below the knee, the use of one kidney and half of his liver, as well as being left with serious scars across his face and the remaining parts of his body. 

It would be enough to send most into spiralling depression, but his terrifying brush with death spurred Tom, now 38, to achieve his wildest dreams of becoming a DJ, a businessman and a sought-after public speaker with an international career.

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Entrepreneur Tom Nash (pictured), who had his arms and legs amputated at the age of 19 due to a life-threatening blood infection, insists there is no one path to success

Entrepreneur Tom Nash (pictured), who had his arms and legs amputated at the age of 19 due to a life-threatening blood infection, insists there is no one path to success

The Sydney teen lost both of his arms at the elbow, both of his legs below the knee, the use of one kidney and half of his liver after contracting meningococcal septicemia

The Sydney teen lost both of his arms at the elbow, both of his legs below the knee, the use of one kidney and half of his liver after contracting meningococcal septicemia

Entrepreneur Tom Nash (left and right), who had his arms and legs amputated at the age of 19 due to a life-threatening blood infection, insists there is no one path to success.

It would be enough to send most into spiralling depression, but his terrifying brush with death spurred Tom, now 38, (pictured) to achieve his wildest dreams

It would be enough to send most into spiralling depression, but his terrifying brush with death spurred Tom, now 38, (pictured) to achieve his wildest dreams

It would be enough to send most into spiralling depression, but his terrifying brush with death spurred Tom, now 38, (pictured) to achieve his wildest dreams

In an episode of the Driven Young Podcast, Mr Nash gave host Byron Dempsey his best advice for young people, saying there is no rule book for a happy life.

‘The number one piece of advice that I would give, and it doesn’t apply to everyone because everybody’s different, is probably just to hark back to the don’t be reliant on path dependency,’ he said.

‘Don’t think that one way of doing things is the only way.’

Mr Nash also urged viewers to remember that there is no time limit on figuring out what you want to do with your life.

What is meningococcal septicemia?

Meningococcal septicemia is a life-threatening form of blood poisoning where bacteria enters the bloodstream and multiplies, damaging the walls of the blood vessels. This causes bleeding into the skin and organs.

Symptoms include fever and chills, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, severe aches or pain in the muscles, joints, chest, or abdomen, rapid breathing and diarrhoea. In the later stages, the skin may turn purple.  

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The brave amputee (pictured) overcame adversity to become a DJ, a businessman and a sought-after public speaker with an international career

The brave amputee (pictured) overcame adversity to become a DJ, a businessman and a sought-after public speaker with an international career

The brave amputee (pictured) overcame adversity to become a DJ, a businessman and a sought-after public speaker with an international career

Mr Nash (pictured) urged young people to remember that there is no time limit on figuring out what you want to do with your life

Mr Nash (pictured) urged young people to remember that there is no time limit on figuring out what you want to do with your life

Mr Nash (pictured) urged young people to remember that there is no time limit on figuring out what you want to do with your life

‘Don’t think you should know what you want to do really early – I mean, I’m 38 now and I still don’t know what I want to do,’ he said.

Mr Nash went on to say that the only consistent thing in his life is inconsistency.

He said while he enjoys being his own boss and managing his own time, he doesn’t like to plan his life too far in advance.

A clip of the interview, which has been viewed almost 6,000 times since it was uploaded to TikTok on August 10,  drew widespread praise.

‘Love this,’ one viewer wrote, while a second added: ‘This is great.’

Source: Daily Mail

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