Date published: September 30, 2024
Marie’s story: fighting sepsis
September is Sepsis Awareness Month and this year’s theme, “It’ll never be you. Until it is” is a reminder that sepsis can happen to anyone, at any time.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where the body’s response to an infection spirals out of control, causing tissue damage, organ failure, and can even lead to death.
Many people don’t realise how common or dangerous sepsis is. What might start as a minor infection can turn deadly if sepsis sets in, which is why recognising the signs early and getting treatment quickly is so important.
Marie, who’s been a Shared Lives Support Officer for over ten years, never expected that she’d be fighting for her life against sepsis. In June last year, she started feeling sick and thought it was just a stomach issue. But within days, her condition got much worse.
“By Wednesday, I was shivering and couldn’t keep anything down. I felt terrible, but I wasn’t in pain,” she remembers.
Her husband took her to the hospital, and things went downhill fast. She was so weak she could barely walk.
At the hospital, Marie was diagnosed with a kidney infection and sepsis. At first, she didn’t realise how serious it was until she was transferred to critical care. There she was put on life support, and her organs—heart, lungs, kidneys—began to fail.
“They called my family because I’d gone into multiple organ failure,” she says.
The speed of her deterioration was frightening.
Marie’s recovery was nothing short of miraculous. After five days in the ICU and another six in the hospital, she began the long journey back to health. “The recovery was tough,” she says.
Her energy was low, her memory was affected, and even her skin and hair showed signs of the strain her body had been through. It took almost seven months for her to feel strong enough to return to work at Lancashire Shared Lives.
What shocked Marie most was not just how sick she became, but how common sepsis is.
“Sepsis can start from something as simple as a cut or an infection,” she explains. “Since my experience, I’ve been surprised by how many people I’ve met who either had sepsis or knew someone who did.”
Now, as a volunteer with The Sepsis Trust, Marie is determined to raise awareness about sepsis, especially for those in the Shared Lives community.
“People with a learning disability are four times more likely to die from sepsis” she says. “They might struggle to express pain or describe how they’re feeling, so carers need to be alert and act fast.”
Marie’s also participates in peer support groups for sepsis survivors through the Trust.
“There isn’t a lot of support for people recovering from sepsis, but these groups have been a huge help for me,” she says.
She’s also raising awareness about Martha’s Rule, which allows families to request a second medical opinion if sepsis is suspected.
Through her work and her own experience, Marie is determined to help more people understand the dangers of sepsis.
“I just want everyone to ask: Could it be sepsis? You never know whose life you might save.”
To find out more about sepsis, visit the UK Sepsis Trust.
