Story
As many of you will know, we lost Tom - a wonderful husband, dad, papa, father-in-law and friend to many - to Sepsis in April of this year.
As a family, we need to confess that we didn't know much about the condition before our dad fell ill. Indeed, early symptoms of the condition, such as raised temperature, sickness or increased heart rate are non-specific. What we now know is that Sepsis develops fast and early diagnosis and subsequent treatment is critical, greatly improving a person's chance of survival. Heartbreakingly, despite the best efforts of the medical teams involved in our dad's care, he died less than 24 hours after being admitted to hospital.
It's estimated that 44,000 people in the UK die of Sepsis every year. That's more than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined. One of the world's most common deadly diseases, sadly, Sepsis is also one of the least recognised.
That's why a team of Tom's nearest and dearest are pulling on their running shoes to take part in the Great Scottish Run on Sunday 1 October. A team of ten (some hardened runners and some not!) will complete the course to raise funds for FEAT - Fiona Elizabeth Agnew Trust. FEAT receives no government funding and relies solely on fundraising and donations. The charity works hard to raise awareness of Sepsis in both local communities and the healthcare sector, but also funds much needed research into the early detection and treatment of the disease.
Our hope is that one day, no family will lose a loved one to Sepsis as we did our dad. While nothing will fill the Tom-shaped hole in our lives, we can talk about and use our experience of this devastating illness to spread awareness.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page and read our story. Any donation made will be much appreciated.
To find out more about FEAT, please visit their website: www.featuk.org.uk.