Thanks for taking the time to visit my fundraising page on this important effort in support of the UK Sepsis Trust!

My Sepsis Journey - Diagnosis

In August 2023, I found myself alone in a hospital isolation room being told I would be '...fine if I could make it through the night', as the hours ticked down to what was being quite openly described as potential end of my 31 years. Having been initially turned away from three separate pharmacies and the walk in centre, at least I had a working diagnosis - sepsis.

Sepsis accounts for 48,000 deaths annually in the UK alone - more than breast, bowel and prostate cancer put together. Sepsis is what happens when our immune system overreacts to an infection.

I had not long recovered from dysentery two months prior that I'd contracted elsewhere, and my body had taken a beating. So of course true to form, I had to overreact to something else and - voila - sepsis.

Sepsis develops fast, and kills even quicker if not recognised and treated early. By all accounts, a few hours later and I wouldn't have been so fortunate.

Recovery

At 31, I was lucky to be otherwise fit and healthy. Still I lost 11kg in the space of a week. My skin was grey, my eyes hollow, and my smile near enough totally gone for months. My body was so wildly overcome by infection, whichever metric was used, and recovery took months.

I slept all night, and most of the day. I had countless secondary infections in just about every part of my body right through to Christmas 2023, and can't count the number of samples, tests, and swabs of every conceivable type I gave between August and December 2023.

The mental and emotional toll was significant - if not from the trauma of sepsis directly - the constant embarrassment of illness, being the 'sick person', and the amount of time I spent being prodded and poked by strangers in sterile medical rooms, usually naked or in some flimsy gown. I lost a lot in those 6 months, and it took a great deal to find enough to navigate a path back. Needless to say, I relied heavily on the resources of the Sepsis Trust.

Giving back, happy and healthy

At last HEALTHY and HAPPY, I'm in a strong position to give back. Fundraising is at the heart of the fight against sepsis. It raises awareness, and sparks the question: What is sepsis? In this way, fundraising can help prevent thousands of deaths & unnecessary suffering through knowledge & awareness of the symptoms.

Sepsis isn't as widely known by name as many other life-threatening, life-changing illnesses - most of us know it as blood poisioning or septicemia, if at all. In my direct experience, many front-line and supporting health professionals themselves do not recognise the symptoms.

Should you be in a position - and willing - to donate the equivalent of your morning coffee, I would be very grateful for your support. Not for me directly, but rather for Sepsis Trust UK and the great work they do.

I have covered the 'minimum donation' £400.00 amount directly as my own financial contribution to the Trust, so any funds in addition to this really are a genuine bonus that make more of a difference than you know!

As ever, onwards and upwards!

£5 provides 100 awareness leaflets

£10 allows for a recovery diary to support the post sepsis journey

£25 pays for 1 hour of nurse-led telephone support

£50 provides an awareness information pack

£95 allows for an online support group session

£105 allows support for one person through recovery

£200 pays for a regional support group event

£3000 provides a years worth of support information

£5000 allows for translation of core documents into other languages