In July 2024, I became unwell very quickly with a fast heart rate, fever & muscle pain. 24 hour laters, I was admitted to critical care with sepsis caused by a bacterial bloodstream infection. Within hours, I went from being unwell, to fighting for my life. My organs began to shut down due to the sepsis, and I went into multiple organ failure - both my kidneys and liver starting failing fast to the point where I nearly required filtration. I also developed DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation), so my clotting levels were extremely dangerous, and I had extremely low HBs and platelets but with a high INR (making the risk of internal bleeding extremely high) I spent 5 days in critical care & a total of 3 weeks in hospital recovering. But, that was just the start of my recovery. It took months to build up my energy again & the psychological impact lasted a lot longer (and still does).

I am one of the lucky ones, and made a full recovery from sepsis. However, 1 in 5 people loose their life every 24 hours. This number is way too high for a condition that can be treated if caught early enough. I am grateful everyday to be here & for the medical team - especially the critical care team who saved my life.

The UK sepsis trust works to educate the community & hospitals in sepsis, to improve outcomes & raise awareness. They also support people affected by sepsis, including me. They provided me with support during my recovery - including phone calls with their nurses, support groups, and allowed me to understand why things happened & what I could expect in my recovery. This made me feel less alone & scared and meant I got to where I am today. I recently qualified as a paediatric nurse, and that is something I didn’t know if I’d be able to achieve in the midst of sepsis. I’ll now use my own experience & all I’ve learned from the UK sepsis trust to help others and hopefully see more positive outcomes like mine. Even if you can’t donate, please make yourself aware of the charity and the incredible things they do - and make yourself aware of the sepsis signs. It might save yours or someone you loves life in the future.

UNITED KINGDOM SEPSIS TRUST LIMITED: Our team seeks to save lives and improve outcomes for survivors of sepsis by instigating political change, educating healthcare professionals, raising public awareness and providing support for those affected by this devastating condition.

Our critical expertise is based on the charity's grassroots origins our doctors and nurses have front line, first hand experience of the sepsis problem; their passion is born of a uniquely comprehensive understanding of what needs to be done.