Support for Lisa - A Sepsis Survivor

This is Lisa’s story of her fierce battle with a sudden septic infection that nearly took her life. Lisa is currently 35 years old and a 4th year PHD student at Western University. She was a happy and healthy student in the home stretch of achieving her dreams of earning her Doctorate in Literature when it was put on a sudden halt. On Thursday March 14th, Lisa was blindsided by the extreme pain from a septic kidney stone and was rushed to the hospital. By Friday the infection rapidly spread putting her into ‘septic shock’ and into the ICU where she was in critical condition and required life support for multiple organ failure including her heart, lungs and kidneys. With this unbelievably horrific news, Lisa’s immediate family all flew from Halifax to support her in the battle of her life.

For over three days Lisa unconsciously fought with everything she had with her family and close friends by her bedside. The family desperately waited for any glimpse of consciousness to surface so they could reassure Lisa she was safe and getting better and had her loved ones by her side. There is no doubt that Lisa felt her family’s unconditional love and support and it gave her the strength she needed. She continued to make positive strides every day and was amazingly able to persevere through the dire circumstances with the incredible 24 hour support of the team of doctors and nurses at the hospital. They did an amazing job providing Lisa with the onslaught of treatments she required to stay alive and continue to fight off the wide spread infection.

A week after her admittance, Lisa is still in the ICU but is now off of life support. She will likely remain in the hospital for a few more weeks where she will receive continued treatments, including dialysis until her body is strong enough to head home. Right now it is unclear what continued support Lisa will need but it can be assumed she will require some physiological support such as physiotherapy and massage therapy to regain full control of her extremities, in addition to some mental health support to appropriately process the traumatic experience.

We are coming together to raise funds so Lisa can rest easier and take as much time as she needs to fully recover both physically and mentally before pursuing the completion of her dissertation and obtaining her Doctorate in Literature. As Lisa will not be able to have any income for the next little while and may have more medical expenses on top of her education, our goal is to provide Lisa with enough financial support to cover her living expenses and tuition until she is able to complete her education.

Lisa is an incredibly gifted writer and researcher receiving many accolades throughout her academic career. Lisa has also been active in giving back to her community as an active Executive and Co-Chair of the Graduate English Society. If you have had the pleasure of talking with this genuinely kind-hearted individual you will understand why we want to give back to her so much. Lisa is the oldest of three siblings and has always been the most loving and loyal friend and sister. She is gentle, caring and extremely determined; inspiring everyone in her circle. This is our chance to inspire her and lift her spirit during this difficult period.

Please help us give Lisa everything she needs so she can fully recover and confidently complete what she has been working towards for over a decade! Please note that TA's at Western may also be able to donate unused EHP benefits from PSAC.

This story puts it into perspective of how fragile life can be. Make sure to hold the ones you love today as nobody is promised tomorrow. Thank you for reading Lisa’s story and for any support you are able to give. Positive vibes and wishes are also welcome!

All the best,

Lisa’s Family <3