Abi

About Abi

Based in the southeast of England, Abi joined Sepsis Research FEAT in October 2020 and plays a pivotal role in expanding awareness of the charity’s mission and growing its activities across the UK via fundraising and communications. Drawing on a strong background in marketing, communications and corporate fundraising, Abi leads a wide range of initiatives to strengthen supporter engagement and increase public understanding of sepsis through targeted campaigns and storytelling. Alongside her professional expertise, Abi is a keen runner and experienced community fundraiser, having completed triathlons, half marathons and the Edinburgh Marathon. She is passionate about building lasting relationships with supporters, encouraging collaboration and ensuring that the charity’s fundraising and communications work helps to drive vital research and life-saving awareness of sepsis. She can be contacted via email:rch.org.uk abi@sepsisresearch.org.uk

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16 July 2026

Free Meningitis B Vaccine for Young People: What You Need to Know

Abi Awareness 0

Header image with the wording "It will never be you. Until it is"

A new NHS initiative is bringing renewed attention to meningitis B, with free vaccinations now being offered to certain groups of young people across the UK. This development marks an important step in preventing a fast-moving and potentially life-threatening illness that can lead to sepsis, long-term complications, and, in severe cases, death.

Recent coverage, including this BBC article on the rollout of the free NHS meningitis jab for teenagers, highlights the urgency behind increasing vaccine uptake and awareness among families and young people alike.

What Is Meningitis B?

Meningitis B is a serious bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis group B. It primarily affects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, but it can also enter the bloodstream, leading to sepsis.

The condition progresses rapidly and can become life-threatening within hours. While it can affect people of any age, babies, children, and teenagers are among the most at risk.

Common Symptoms to Watch For

Early symptoms can often resemble flu, which makes meningitis B particularly dangerous. Key signs include:

High fever and cold hands or feet
Severe headache and neck stiffness
Sensitivity to light
Vomiting
Confusion or difficulty waking
A rash that does not fade when pressed

If untreated, meningitis B can quickly escalate into sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection.

Why the Free Vaccine Matters

The NHS has introduced a free MenB vaccine programme aimed at improving protection among young people who may have missed earlier vaccinations or are at higher risk.

According to NHS guidance and recent updates covered in national news, expanding access to the vaccine is a proactive move to reduce preventable cases of severe illness.

Vaccination is currently the most effective way to protect against meningitis B. By increasing uptake, the NHS aims to:

Reduce hospital admissions linked to meningitis and sepsis
Prevent long-term complications such as brain damage or limb loss
Improve survival rates among vulnerable groups

For eligible teenagers and young people, this free vaccine represents a critical opportunity to gain protection at no cost.

The Link Between Meningitis B and Sepsis

One of the most serious risks associated with meningitis B is its ability to trigger sepsis.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection, causing widespread inflammation that can damage tissues and organs. In cases of meningitis B, bacteria can enter the bloodstream, leading to septic shock.

Why Early Action Is Critical

Sepsis can develop extremely quickly. Without prompt treatment, it can lead to:

Organ failure
Limb amputation
Cognitive impairment
Death

The NHS has recognised the urgency of improving sepsis outcomes through initiatives like the NHS England Sepsis Modern Service Framework, which focuses on faster diagnosis, better treatment pathways, and increased public awareness.

Improving vaccination rates for infections like meningitis B plays a vital role in preventing sepsis before it starts.

Real Stories Highlight the Risks

Statistics can only tell part of the story. Real-life experiences bring home the devastating impact meningitis and sepsis can have.

These personal accounts highlight how quickly symptoms can escalate and the long-term consequences individuals and families may face.

They also reinforce a key message: prevention and early action save lives.

Who Is Eligible for the Free Vaccine?

Eligibility for the free MenB vaccine may vary depending on NHS rollout phases and local guidance, but it generally includes:

Babies (as part of the routine childhood vaccination programme)
Certain teenagers and young people who missed earlier doses
Individuals at higher clinical risk

The recent expansion reported in the BBC coverage focuses on increasing access for teenagers, a group that remains vulnerable due to lower vaccination uptake in previous years.

If you are unsure whether you or someone you care for is eligible, it is best to check with your GP or local NHS services.

Addressing Common Concerns About the Vaccine

It is natural to have questions about any vaccine. The MenB vaccine used by the NHS has been extensively tested and is considered safe and effective.

Common Questions

Is the vaccine safe?
Yes. The MenB vaccine has undergone rigorous clinical trials and continues to be monitored for safety.

Are there side effects?
Most side effects are mild and temporary, such as soreness at the injection site or a slight fever.

Is it really necessary?
Given the severity and speed of meningitis B, vaccination offers essential protection that significantly outweighs the risks of side effects.

How to Get Vaccinated

If you or your child may be eligible, accessing the vaccine is straightforward:

Contact your GP practice
Check NHS online services
Follow local health authority announcements

Appointments are typically quick, and the vaccine provides long-term protection against a serious illness.

Meningitis B is rare but devastating. Its rapid progression and strong link to sepsis make prevention absolutely critical.

The NHS’s decision to offer free vaccinations to more young people is a positive and potentially life-saving development. Taking up this offer not only protects individuals but also helps reduce the wider burden on healthcare systems.

If you or someone you know is eligible, do not delay. Vaccination, awareness, and early action are the most powerful tools we have against meningitis B and sepsis.

12 May 2026

Hayley’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories mastitis, maternal sepsis 0

29 year old Hayley from West Yorkshire was previously a social worker and is now nearing completion of her postgraduate degree in primary teaching in Year 6 this summer. She is also mum to two small children.

‘I enjoy running (most of the time!), the gym, playing with my children, especially at local parks and play areas and going out with friends for brunch and eating yummy pastries. I am also trying to get into gardening, but I am still trying to learn how to keep the plants alive’, she says.

She had no reason to believe that feeding her second child, a son born in 2023 would be any more challenging than her previous experience. But developing mastitis, as many mums do, was to have serious repercussions for Hayley, as she explains here.

When my first child – a daughter – was born, I expressed milk for over six months and felt certain this was something I would also do for my second child.

I had just given birth to my son, Oliver, but less than a week later I developed double mastitis. Things became painful very quickly, so I sought advice from midwives. Unfortunately, I was given conflicting advice and my condition continued to deteriorate.

I later attended the maternity assessment unit and was prescribed antibiotics. After taking them for several days with no improvement, I became extremely unwell, experiencing hot and cold sweats, fatigue, and feeling dazed. I am someone who doesn’t like to bother anyone and I delayed going to hospital because I worried I wouldn’t be considered poorly enough. But eventually, I felt so unwell that I left my husband and babies at home and went in. I recall wearing layers and layers of clothes and dressing gowns on my bed but still feeling freezing and shivering and sweating at the same time. My mum took me, and within ten minutes of arriving I was drifting in and out of consciousness, with doctors urgently squeezing IV treatment bags at my bedside. The look on my mum’s face coming to see me a few hours after I was admitted haunts me to this day – I can picture her face of horror and shock as she looked at how quickly I had deteriorated in the hospital bed.

I was being overseen by the high-dependency team. I recall a doctor from this unit coming and telling me that if he didn’t see any improvement within the next hour, I would be moved up to the high dependency unit. Because I was only 10 days postpartum, I was firstly treated at the maternity assessment unit. A busy maternity assessment unit, with the hustle and bustle of people coming and going, was deafeningly silent and lonely to me. I could not maintain consciousness long enough to have any real awareness of what was going on around me. I thankfully started to improve and they then moved me to the labour ward with a 1:1 nurse. I lay in bed on the labour ward day all night listening to other women screaming, experiencing the pain and discomfort of giving birth, having only done so myself less than two weeks earlier. All I can remember is crying to the doctor and saying, “I can’t die. I have a ten-day-old baby and a family.” I can also recall the painful blood test to test for infection and sepsis, which failed the first time, so I had to go through it twice. I was placed on 24-hour watch until I began to improve. I spent three nights in hospital before being discharged with further medication.

My husband is incredible and juggled our 22-month-old girl and a newborn at home alone, juggling the night shifts. I missed my family and new baby so much and Oliver was allowed to stay with me on night 3. I felt he was changing each day and I wasn’t at home to see it happening. I was also in hospital for our first wedding anniversary. We had a lovely evening planned which turned out to be Liam keeping me company at my bedside. I did not inform many family members or friends of my condition as I did not feel well enough to have visitors. However, once news got out, my friends and family were incredibly supportive.

Every day, I think about the “what ifs,” and what might have happened if I hadn’t gone to the hospital when I did.

I actually recall first getting mastitis and saying to Liam, ‘You know you can get sepsis from mastitis?’ in a jokey way as I was complaining how painful it was. However, I actually didn’t know how sepsis presented – had I known more, things might have played out differently.

I wasn’t able to give my son my own milk, and the guilt I have felt as a result of that has been incredibly heavy. I still have a single syringe of colostrum in my freezer that I can’t bring myself to throw away. It has become a powerful symbol of the trauma we went through. I had my daughter’s milk made into a ring, but I’ve never felt I deserved to do the same with my son’s, because I wasn’t able to produce milk for him for the same length of time. It’s something I’ve carried quietly ever since.

I am hoping to take part in the London Marathon for Sepsis Research FEAT in 2027. I feel it could give me the motivation and the justification to turn something so painful into something positive. Perhaps then I would finally allow myself to honour that small but meaningful piece of our story.

Sepsis impacted not just my life, but my family’s too. The experience was terrifying for all of us. I want to raise awareness of how quickly sepsis can develop, particularly in new mothers, and help fund vital research that saves lives. Taking on a challenge is my way of giving back, saying thank you and making sure that more families are spared the fear and uncertainty that mine went through.

My final message would be to never delay seeking medical help or downplay how unwell you feel. Trust your instincts, even if you worry about bothering others or feel unsure whether you are “ill enough”. Sepsis can develop frighteningly fast, especially in new mothers, and acting quickly can save your life. You know your body better than anyone. If something doesn’t feel right, speak up and get checked.

——

Charity Comment:

Mastitis is a relatively common condition, particularly in breastfeeding women, of whom it is thought to affect around 30%, usually in the first 2 to 3 weeks post-partum. For most women it does not usually require medical treatment.

For Hayley and others like Ella, however, mastitis became something far more serious as the infection that they suffered developed into sepsis. Being aware as new mums of the level to which one’s immune system is compromised, and one’s susceptibility to infection is therefore increased, is helpful in recognising the symptoms of infection and getting them treated as quickly as possible.

Their’s is a lesson not to brush off symptoms but to be vigilant and act quickly if you are at all concerned.

Sepsis Research FEAT is so grateful to Hayley for sharing her story with Sepsis Research FEAT as part of its maternal sepsis awareness campaign and hopes to have the chance to work with her in the future as she considers undertaking a challenge event for this charity.

12 May 2026

Laura’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories maternal sepsis 0

‘I didn’t really understand what sepsis was and how serious it is – everything was a bit of a blur.’

I’m Laura. I’m a 34 year old mum of two from Galashiels and I work for a high school in the Scottish Borders as a receptionist in the office.

Outside work, I enjoy getting outdoors with the kids and exploring new places and walks. I have recently taken on the challenge of running the 2026 Edinburgh half marathon for Sepsis Research FEAT with my husband of 10 years, Calumn. The training has been intense but I have really enjoyed running and I’ve definitely found a new passion/love for it through my training plan. Living where I do certainly helps as there are so many beautiful routes and places to see. I find myself taking photos mid-run most of the time as I just find the beauty in the land.

I was diagnosed with sepsis on Saturday 2nd June 2018

I had gone into hospital the day before – Friday 1st June – as I was overdue with my daughter and the midwife advised that at that stage we should look at inducing her. I was a bit naive and didn’t really understand all that would come with being induced and the possible complications. I was also at the point in my pregnancy that I was eager for my baby to arrive and I was very uncomfortable. When I went in on the Friday, I was already 3cm dilated but my body was not in labour. Because of that and because the labour ward was full at the time, they asked me to stay in a side-room, so that when there was a space I could be admitted to the labour ward to have my waters broken and labour could hopefully then begin naturally.

Unfortunately the ward remained full all evening so I was unable to go in. Over the course of that day and into the night different midwives came multiple times to examine me and check dilation, and twice to give me a sweep. I explained at some point in the evening that I thought that my waters had broken as I had had a gush but the midwives told me during the examination that that wasn’t the case.

On the Saturday at 11am, having been in since 2pm on the Friday, it was finally time to go to the labour ward. I had my waters broken then, after an hour of no change, the decision was taken to put me on a hormone drip. That was intense, so at that point I was also given an epidural. Everything felt great after that and seemed to be going really smoothly. Eight and a half hours later, at about 7:30, it was time to push. Everything felt ok initially but the room started to feel hotter and hotter. I just thought that that was normal because I had never experienced labour before. The midwife noticed a dip in my daughter’s heart rate and decided to check my temperature. At that point it all became a bit of a blur but the midwife quickly called a doctor and a surgeon into the room. They explained that my baby was not happy and that I had a temperature and that I needed to go to theatre.

Once I got to theatre they started to take my bloods. I didn’t know what was going on but the doctor explained that they needed to get the baby out now and that I needed to be put on a drip of antibiotics immediately. At this point they were asking me random questions but I was unable to speak or to give them any kind of answer. My words were jumbled up and nothing was making sense. Somehow, amazingly, after three pushes our daughter Mae arrived.

For a moment I actually felt normal. When they handed my daughter to me I cried and smiled at her. But almost immediately after that I was wheeled to after-care where I stayed for a few hours whilst they continued to take blood and hooked me up to various machines including a heart-rate monitor, IV drip and catheter. Someone also took my blood hourly to keep an eye on my infection markers.

This is when I got the feeling of impending doom and I felt like I was going to die. I felt like my body was giving up and I just kept closing my eyes. My husband was holding our daughter and I couldn’t keep my focus on them at all. The next thing I remember after that was being in high dependency (HDU) with someone monitoring me constantly.

Looking back I was lucky that the amazing midwife I had knew the signs and called for help when she realised my temperature was rising. The doctor explained to me the following morning, whilst I was still in high dependency that the results of my blood cultures had came back and that I had maternal sepsis. I found out later that they had made my husband aware at the time that that was what they suspected.

Calumn held my hand and stayed calm during it all but he said afterwards that inside he was terrified as he could see my condition worsening just before our daughter was born. I am so glad that Calumn is the person he is – he is really levelheaded in hard situations and was a great support to me. I was so scared and he made me feel safe.

Calumn called my parents once I was moved to high dependency to tell them the news that our daughter Mae had arrived but that I was unwell. My parents were shocked to hear about my diagnosis as I think they wondered how it could have happened and were obviously worried about me and how I would recover.

I didn’t really understand what sepsis was and how serious it is – everything was a bit of a blur. I spent the next 4 days in hospital receiving antibiotics through a drip. As a new, first-time mum my focus was on my daughter and getting myself back to normal to be able to get home and look after her. It was only once my family spoke to me about how worried they had been for me that I realised how serious it could have been. I was very lucky that it was caught so quickly – I just needed antibiotics through a drip for 4 days and then orally for a week after that.

Since I had sepsis I have struggled though, with health anxiety around infections and becoming unwell myself or my children becoming unwell with an infection.

I found this charity whilst I was searching for information on sepsis. I have found it helpful as it shares information and awareness messaging about sepsis. In 2024 I ran a 10k for Sepsis Research FEAT and I am now running the Edinburgh half marathon on 24th May for them. I am hoping to raise funds for sepsis research and awareness.

Above all, I want to raise awareness of maternal sepsis – it is something that I don’t feel is very well-publicised. I had not heard of it until after I had it. I really want to make sure that others in my position at the time know the signs and understand that sepsis can progress very quickly.

Charity Comment

Laura’s story of maternal sepsis could have ended very differently. She rightly acknowledges in her account that it was the quick thinking and awareness on the part of her midwife that ensured that she got rapid diagnosis and treatment, potentially saving not just her life but that of her unborn child.

What Laura also quite rightly points out is the fact that awareness of the dangers of sepsis amongst pregnant women and new mums – whose immune system is suppressed – is greater than it might otherwise be for women generally. Being well informed about the potential for infection and sepsis is an important way for women and their families to safeguard the health and well-being of both mothers and babies; particularly at such a critical time when attention is understandably more focused on the health of the newborn and a first time mother may be confused as to what is ‘normal’.

Sepsis Research FEAT is delighted to have Laura and Calumn running the 2026 Edinburgh half marathon to raise funds for sepsis research and awareness. We are so grateful to them for their fundraising and for sharing their account of what happened to their family here as part of Sepsis Research FEAT’s maternal sepsis awareness campaign. We wish them all the very best for the future.

11 May 2026

Ella’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories mastitis, maternal sepsis 0

29 year old Ella is from the midlands and is a school teacher and mum to two small children.

In her spare time she enjoys running, reading and days out with her family, ‘We love visiting farms and swimming together’, she says

Like many mums, Ella probably felt quite confident as a second time mum with experience of breastfeeding. Many breastfeeding mums develop mastitis, few seriously. The long-term effects for Ella have been significant, however, as she explains here:

I have two significant connections with sepsis. The first was in June 2021, when my eldest son, Finley, was 10 months old. He became incredibly poorly very quickly. I collected him from nursery one day with a slight temperature and by bedtime, we were in A&E battling a whole host of symptoms. Finley was eventually diagnosed with cellulitis in his right arm, which developed into sepsis. This was an incredibly traumatic time for our family, as we were also managing covid restrictions at the time. Thankfully, Finley made a good recovery after several weeks in hospital, possibly due to his young age. I am incredibly grateful for the doctors and nurses who acted so quickly to save Finley. He is now 5 years old, nearly 6, and is thriving.

My second connection to sepsis is much more recent.

In March 2024, I gave birth to my second son, Beau. The birth was complex and I had an emergency C-section. Despite this, I recovered well and spent one wonderful week at home with my family. Exactly one week later, I woke up at midnight shaking so violently that I couldn’t move, I had to use ‘Hey Siri’ to call my partner – who had our baby in another room so I could get some sleep – and ask him to come and help me. He came in and took my temperature, which was 41 degrees. In the morning, we contacted the GP and went in. I had taken paracetamol and ibuprofen which had brought my symptoms (and temperature) down significantly. Whilst I was at the GP, they listened to my symptoms and gave me some amoxicillin to take home. I began to take the antibiotics, and over the next 24 hours, my symptoms became worse.

The following day, I went back to the GP, who examined me more thoroughly – they diagnosed me with mastitis. I was so poorly that I had been unable to tell that the pain was coming from my breast; my whole body was in agony and constantly shaking from the temperature. My Mum has a background of nursing and was very concerned that I was showing symptoms of sepsis, but when we spoke to the GP about it, they told us ‘it can’t be sepsis’ as my temperature wasn’t high enough at the time of the appointment – thanks to paracetamol which had slightly reduced it again.

That evening, I was so poorly that my partner decided to take me back to maternity triage at the Worcestershire Royal hospital. As I was only one week post-partum, he decided this would be better than A&E. I was seen a couple of hours after I arrived when they decided to admit me due to my raised temperature. During the process of being admitted, my heart rate began to raise significantly, however. Several midwives came and measured my heart rate, as they didn’t think the readings were accurate. My heart rate went up to 286bpm.

At this point, the hospital crash team was called and I have no memory of the events that followed. My partner tells me that the the crash team tried two manual methods of lowering my heart rate, both of which failed. I was unconscious and not responding to their efforts to bring me back around. They then administered a drug to forcibly bring my heart rate back down, at which point it plummeted to 20 bpm. They then spent several hours trying to stabilise me, and Jae had to make phone calls to my parents telling them how poorly I was, and that they should probably come to the hospital as soon as possible. My incredible fiancé stayed with me during all of this and was a brilliant support to everyone – truly believing he may be about to become a single father to two. Thankfully, and completely unexpectedly, after a week in hospital on an IV antibiotic, I made a complete recovery. I was told by doctors that the infection marker in my blood had been 568 [note: anything over 50 is deemed to be high].

Following this, In February 2025, I had a cardiac ablation, as the SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) episode I had experienced during sepsis had caused damage to my heart. I will now continue to take beta blockers for the rest of my life to manage this damage.

Jae still finds it tricky to talk about this time, he was sitting alone with a baby who was a week old, and a 3 year old at home, terrified that this would be his reality from now on. He was a fantastic rock to all of us during this time. My Mum is a very pragmatic person, with an extensive history in nursing, and even this shook her deeply and she found it hard to process how it had got so bad, so quickly.

Since then, I have been supported by some fantastic hospital staff who supported me through trauma de-briefs and explanations of everything that happened during this time. All I wish to do now is raise awareness of sepsis and how dangerous it is – and how to spot the signs. I feel so incredibly lucky to be where I am today. Last year, I told this story on TikTok, which went viral and gained 140,000 views, with so many people relating to my story and telling similar ones themselves. I will take any opportunity to raise money for vital sepsis research and raise awareness.

I also want to help raise awareness of sepsis as much as possible, but my main motivation is wanting to support research into sepsis and helping to make progress in the medical field as to why sepsis causes the damage that it does – for example, why it caused such significant damage to my heart that I have been left with a life-long condition. That is why Sepsis Research FEAT stands out to me so much and is the charity I wish to support.

As a primary school teacher, my main goal in life is to spread positivity and encourage others to do the same. I would love to be able to share how grateful I am to still have my life after my battle with sepsis, and how grateful I am to still have my precious son after his.

My message to others would be to go with your gut instinct when you know you are not well – seek advice and don’t hesitate to get a second or third opinion. If it is someone else who is poorly, be their voice for them when they are unable to advocate for themselves.

Charity Comment:

Mastitis is a relatively common condition, particularly among breastfeeding women, and is estimated to affect around 30%, most often within the first two to three weeks after birth. For the majority, it can be managed without the need for medical treatment.

For Ella and others like Hayley, however, mastitis proved far more serious. In both cases, the infection progressed to sepsis. As new mothers, understanding that the immune system can be compromised during this period—and that susceptibility to infection is therefore increased—can play an important role in recognising symptoms early and seeking prompt treatment.

Their experience highlights the importance of not dismissing symptoms, but instead remaining vigilant and acting quickly if concerns arise. It also underlines the value of seeking a second opinion if symptoms persist or worsen after initial medical assessment/discharge.

Sepsis Research FEAT is extremely grateful to Ella for sharing her story as part of Sepsis Research FEAT’s maternal sepsis awareness campaign 2026 and hopes to work with her in the future as she considers taking on a challenge event in support of this charity’s research and awareness work.

11 May 2026

Poppy’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories maternal sepsis 0

‘Surviving sepsis showed me the beauty in living. I live every day now with gratitude.’

My name is Poppy Gibson and I am a 35 year old mum of three from Essex.

I am a lecturer in education and have been lecturing for nine years having previously been a primary school teacher and leader in London. I love the outdoors and my hobbies centre around my animals and taking time exploring woods, beaches and historic places around Essex with my family.

I was diagnosed with maternal sepsis in October 2014.

I had started feeling unwell at 34 weeks pregnant. It was my second pregnancy so I already knew how my body felt to be pregnant, but this time something felt wrong. On top of the usual fatigue and aches and pains, I had a pain down my left side, a bit like a stitch after you have been running, that just wouldn’t go away. It was accompanied by shallow breathing, and a general feeling of being unwell, like the onset of mild flu. I think being pregnant is part of the reason I put up with the pain for as long as I did, as I suspected it was just my body coping with carrying a large baby as well as the extra fluid (polyhydramnios) which I also had at the time. I didn’t want to be seen to be complaining or making a fuss for no reason. But when I went for my routine check up, the health assessor said that the shallow breathing and left side pain wasn’t normal, and she advised me to go to A&E just to get it checked out.

I went home and told my husband Richard and he agreed we should go to the hospital to be on the safe side.

I felt like a fraud. I was comforted that the medics in A&E took me seriously though and ordered an x ray. When this came back it showed a shadow on the bottom of my left lung. They said that it might either be a compressed lung caused by the pregnancy, or that it could perhaps be pneumonia. Because I said I was feeling unwell, they erred on the side of caution and the lung consultant advised that I needed to begin treatment for pneumonia. I went sent home with a prescription for pneumonia medication, hopeful that I would finally start feeling better.

Instead, I kept deteriorating. When they told me 2 weeks later, at 36 weeks, that I would need to be induced for ICP (Intrahepatic Cholestasis in Pregnancy), I have never felt so relieved. I wanted my baby delivered safely so that I could begin healing.

It was only much later – 9 days post partum, at home in bed, struggling to move even to breastfeed and the pain down my left side ever present – that I suddenly began shivering. My husband said my lips turned blue. He called 111 straight away and they advised him to take me straight to A&E.

One symptom I now know about in sepsis is not passing urine. The medics asked me for a urine sample while we waited to be seen and I couldn’t give one. I asked my husband to buy me a bottle of water from the vending machine and even after drinking it I still couldn’t go.

An MRI was ordered and identified that the shadow at the bottom of my lung spotted all those weeks ago was, in fact, due to a kidney abscess on my left side that had remained undiagnosed for so long that it had turned septic.

I was finally diagnosed with sepsis and admitted urgently to Intensive Care at Princess Alexandra Hospital Harlow, Essex. I was in Intensive care for 9 days

When they told me I had sepsis, I actually felt incredibly ignorant for not even having heard the word before. I knew of the outdated term ‘septicaemia’, or blood poisoning, but thought that was a dangerous infection caught from perhaps an extreme accident, not something I could have developed as a healthy person in my 20s.

The one memory that stands out is when the doctor told me and my husband to make peace and prepare – that my diagnosis had come very late and I was very, very ill. I remember seeing my husband cry, which he never does. I remember thinking I wouldn’t see my two boys again and my heart broke in that moment for all that would never be.

Amazingly after a drain on the abscess, two blood transfusions, and extreme antibiotics in ICU, recovery began.

Finally, on the 9th day I began to feel slightly better. I could sit up. And I was finally allowed to see my baby again – my husband brought him to the hospital. I hadn’t seen him for 9 days and my body had pretty much shut down, unable to feed him.

What then proved to be the biggest help during my treatment and recovery was learning more about sepsis, and connecting with other people whose lives had also been affected. Speaking to other sepsis survivors helped me feel seen. It validated my whole range of emotions: grateful to be alive, but grieving for all that I had lost.

When I was diagnosed with sepsis, I thought I was going to die. But being diagnosed with sepsis changed my whole perspective on life. It made me see we are just mortal; I had never thought about that before. Surviving sepsis showed me the beauty in living. I live every day now with gratitude.

I found Sepsis Research FEAT earlier this year and am so grateful for the stories the charity shares and the information it provides – especially as their website contains information about the medical research it funds as well as personal stories of sepsis.

I am sharing my story with Sepsis Research FEAT now because I wish that someone had recognised sooner that I had sepsis. I didn’t even know what it was at the time but spotting it earlier could have led to a quicker diagnosis, quicker treatment, and a better birth and bonding experience with my baby.

Instead, the first weeks of his life meant I wasn’t there for him. If, by reading my story another pregnant woman or new mum, or someone close to her, is able to recognise sepsis in themselves or others then that makes it all worth it.

You know your body best; if something doesn’t feel right, please keep pushing for further investigation. And if in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask ‘could it be sepsis?’

Charity Comment

Poppy’s story is a powerful call to other pregnant women and new mums to be aware – made in the hope of preventing others from going through what she did herself.

Her clinical experience of her second pregnancy was complicated by ICP, a diagnosis of pneumonia and the ultimate identification of a kidney abscess. The systemic nature of sepsis – when inflammation spreads rapidly throughout the body – makes identifying the origin of an infection in order to treat it at source difficult for even the best trained clinicians.

Most pregnant women are concerned, quite rightly, first and foremost for the wellbeing of their unborn child. Poppy admits that – not unlike many other expectant mums – she put up with the pain because she was pregnant. She was probably unaware of the fact that she was immunosuppressed as a result of her condition. Women in a second or later pregnancy may be even more likely ‘just to get on with it’ with another child or children to look after.

This charity’s maternal sepsis campaign in May 2026 will be the second time that the charity has focussed on the risks of sepsis to new and expectant mums, in the hope of improving outcomes for women at such a crucial point in their own lives and those of their families. Sepsis Research FEAT is very grateful indeed to Poppy for so bravely sharing her story in support of that campaign.

11 May 2026

Maria’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories C-section, maternal sepsis 0

32 year old Maria lives on the outskirts of Glasgow with her husband of two years, Dane, and their young son. Self-employed in the beauty industry, she balances the demands of work with the busy, rewarding life of being a mum. Her time outside work is spent with her family and her miniature pinscher, Manny, enjoying long walks and the calm of being out in nature.

At what should have been one of the happiest times in her life, shortly after the birth of her first child, Maria developed sepsis and was tested in ways she could never have expected. She describes what unfolded here.

I first realised that something was wrong five days after I gave birth to my son Ari in late April 2025.

I was extremely cold, my lips were blue, I was shivering and I had this horrible feeling that something was seriously wrong. I was crying uncontrollably. I went to the maternity assessment unit and was told my symptoms could be the baby blues or my breast milk coming in. They said that they could see an infection but were unclear of the cause. My infection markers were apparently high but they said this was normal because I had had a C-section five days prior. They managed to get my temperature down and by that stage I was almost convinced that it was all in my head. I was sent home with oral antibiotics.

Six days later – because of how unwell I was and because I felt that no one was taking me seriously – I went back to the maternity assessment. In those six days I had developed severe muscle pain in my neck and shoulder; it felt like my neck was going to snap and I had to hold my head up. I phoned my midwife to come out and they told me it was trapped gas from my C-section and to drink peppermint tea and walk it off as there was nothing they could do and that it would go away by itself. For days I walked around my garden drinking peppermint tea whilst holding my head up. I went to the GP who said it could be muscle pain from breastfeeding.

We called the maternity assessment every night because I was crying in pain. They kept saying that, whilst I could come in, there was nothing they could do for me. I knew in my gut that there was something seriously wrong though. I went back to the maternity assessment at the end of those six days because I was told not to go to A&E for the first six weeks after having the baby. I spent two days there, but no one could figure out what was wrong with me. They gave me pain killers that were doing nothing for the pain. Doctors from a number of different departments came to assess me and each one would say that my case wasn’t suitable for treatment in their ward and that they didn’t know what was wrong with me.

I was then moved to the labour ward so that I could access stronger drugs, but these still didn’t ease my pain in the slightest. At a loss to know how to treat me, they transferred me to the acute receiving unit of the main hospital. I spent another three days there, telling my story and relaying my symptoms over and over again to different doctors until one recognised the symptoms of sepsis and sent me to the infectious diseases ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Glasgow.

I wasn’t actually told that I had had sepsis until roughly two weeks after I was discharged from hospital, when I went for a follow-up appointment with my GP. The GP came up with a plan for me going forward and wrote on the plan that the cause of my illness had been post-natal sepsis. I had a six-week check up with my consultant who then confirmed that this was the case. I had been completely unaware up to that point.

I was in total shock because no one told me specifically that it was sepsis – they had just kept telling me that I had an infection. I was happy to see it written though, because it confirmed to me the severity of what had happened and left me feeling validated in a way. My family were also in complete shock but I think that they were probably glad just to have an answer.

My consultant and the junior doctor at my infectious diseases ward were both incredible, but nothing really helped me – my body just needed time to recover. My mum moved into my house and cared for my baby and my husband used all of his leave and ended up having to return to work.

Throughout my treatment and recovery from sepsis I received IV antibiotics through a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line for two weeks, a variety of different pain relief, physiotherapy and private acupuncture. I am still receiving the physiotherapy and acupuncture and have to use painkillers. The function in my arm has returned but it is very weak and there is no timeline as to when I will be back to how I was pre-sepsis.

When all of this first happened, my mood was unbelievably low. I was a first-time mum who had to stop breast feeding due to the infection and the quantity of drugs that were now contaminating my milk. This really upset me because I had established breast feeding so well and always wanted to breast feed my son.

I was also separated from my baby due to the treatment so I felt huge guilt that I couldn’t be there to care for him. Sometimes when he was brought to visit me in hospital I didn’t even want to see him because of that guilt. When I got home my mum and husband took over caring for him because I was so depressed, drowsy from medication, unwell from the sepsis and in pain from nerve damage in my shoulder and arm.

Because the sepsis was left untreated for so long it had affected my neck and shoulder and my nerves, which was what was causing the unbelievable pain. It compressed 3 nerves (c4, c5 and c6) so that I had no function in my right arm – doctors thought that I had had a stroke at one point. I left the hospital with my dominant arm in a sling. I couldn’t dress myself, go to the toilet by myself, or even put my hair in a ponytail, never mind hold my son, dress him, change his nappy or feed him…I thought I would never be able to care for my baby, return to my business or generally have a normal life again.

My outlook now has changed. I still have post-natal depression – or maybe post sepsis depression, I’m not sure – but I am thriving as a mum and so proud of how strong I have been to get to the other side.

I was keen to share my story with Sepsis Research FEAT because, although my consultants tell me that what happened to me was something they had never previously seen in their careers, post-natal sepsis is definitely an obstetric concern and midwives and doctors need to be able to recognise it. I had never heard of post-natal sepsis before and I want people to know the signs, trust their gut and to be taken seriously. I also wanted to share my experience in case anyone is in the situation I was in a year ago and, like me at the time, is wondering how they can recover mentally from it.

Charity message:

Maria’s message to others ‘trust your gut and speak up for yourself’ is a vitally important one in any case of sepsis. It is doubly important in the context of maternal sepsis, however, when pregnant and new mums may be unsure of what to expect and what is ‘normal’, and when the focus – understandably – is on the health and well-being of the unborn or newborn child.

Pregnant women and those immediately postpartum are immunosuppressed in a way that makes them more prone to infection and potentially therefore sepsis. Infection post C-section is also not uncommon. Knowing this and understanding the signs and symptoms of sepsis and what to do if they are suspected is crucial to ensuring the health and well-being of new mums.

We are so grateful to Maria for sharing her story with Sepsis Research FEAT for its maternal sepsis campaign 2026.

11 May 2026

Jenna’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories appendicitis, maternal sepsis 0

‘…always listen to your body and trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, seek help and don’t ever worry about “wasting anyone’s time”. No question is a silly one when it comes to your health. You know your body better than anyone else and acting quickly can save lives.’

32 year old construction marketing manager Jenna’s world outside work now understandably revolves around her baby girl Mollie. Her golden retriever, Oscar, also keeps the family busy. ‘I love going for long walks, spending time with my friends and family and enjoying good food together’, she says, ‘Those simple moments mean even more to me now.’

Jenna very kindly shares her story here.

I had my baby shower on Saturday 20^th September 2025. At that point I was 35 weeks and 4 days pregnant. It was such a special day, organised by my husband of two years Pete, my family and my best friends – they made me feel incredibly loved and excited for Mollie’s arrival.

The next day I felt quite wiped out, which I put down to the busy weekend, so I went for a lie down. Not long after that I started getting pain across my whole stomach which gradually became more severe and moved into my right side. I phoned triage at the Royal Alexandra Maternity Hospital and they asked me to come in to be checked. This was around 11pm on the Sunday night.

When I arrived, my heart rate and blood pressure were high and my stomach was extremely tender to touch, so they decided to keep me in for monitoring. By the time I was seen and moved to a ward it was around 3am and unfortunately Pete had to go home and then come back again in the morning.

I managed a little breakfast the next day, but by lunchtime things started to deteriorate very quickly. I began shaking and convulsing in the bed in a way I had never experienced before and I was violently sick. I remember being really alarmed by the colour of the vomit, which was green, and I could hear the nurses discussing it.

At this point I was in a ward with three other women who were there for inductions. Throughout this time I had the monitor on my stomach tracking Mollie’s heart rate and movements. I started to become really worried because my heart rate was reaching 160 and Mollie’s was also very high. I hadn’t felt her move for hours, which was very unusual as she had always been an active baby.

Doctors started arriving quickly and ran tests, including an ECG. They told me that all my symptoms were pointing towards sepsis and that they believed the source was my appendix. When I heard the word sepsis my heart just sank. I was terrified – not only for myself but for Mollie.

The only thing that kept me calm in those moments was seeing her heartbeat on the monitor, with my mum and Pete reassuring me that she was still there and still fighting. The doctors explained that I would need a CT scan to confirm whether it was my appendix that had become infected before they could decide the next steps. The CT scan confirmed that the infection that led to sepsis had originated in my appendix and that it was very close to rupturing. Antibiotics alone wouldn’t be enough.

I had already been started on antibiotics through cannulas in both arms to begin treating the infection. At around 5–6pm the doctors explained that I would need surgery to remove my appendix and flush the infection from my pelvis and surrounding areas.

However, because of where my appendix was positioned during pregnancy, they explained that Mollie would need to be delivered first. I was told I would need a caesarean section, followed immediately by the appendix surgery, all under general anaesthetic.

There were then two surgical teams involved – one for the caesarean section and one for the appendix removal.

I was understandably terrified going into surgery because I didn’t know what would happen afterwards. Not only was I suddenly facing emergency surgery, but I realised I wouldn’t have the birth I had imagined. I wouldn’t get to see Mollie’s little face when she arrived because I would be under general anaesthetic. At that moment, though, I knew I had no choice but to trust the medical team around me. I was in a lot of pain and I just wanted Mollie to be safe.

What scared me the most was that I hadn’t felt her move for around eight hours. I remember lying there worrying about whether I would wake up to meet my baby – or whether I would even wake up myself.

I had been healthy all my life, so everything felt surreal and overwhelming. I knew that if my appendix ruptured things could escalate very quickly and lead to septic shock, so I also knew the doctors had to act fast.

The pain was the worst I have ever experienced and because Mollie was in distress the pain relief they could give me was limited, so I just had to breathe through it and focus on getting through the surgery.

My mum and my husband Pete were both with me in hospital. I know they were incredibly worried but they stayed so calm for me, which helped more than they’ll ever know. Our families at home were also extremely worried. Mollie was going to be the first grandchild on both sides of the family, so everyone was anxiously waiting for news of the two of us.

Mollie was born at 9:47pm on the 22^nd September, but I didn’t get to meet her until 11am the next morning.

Once I came out of surgery I was on three different types of antibiotics, injections to prevent blood clots and strong pain relief. My surgical wound ran vertically from just below my belly button down towards my pant line. I also had the caesarean section scar internally. The first time I saw the vertical scar it really broke my heart as it brought back so much of the trauma of what had happened.

Those hours between coming round and meeting Mollie were some of the longest of my life. I had spent months imagining the moment I would finally meet my baby girl, holding her for the first time, seeing her little face, counting her fingers and toes. Instead, I woke up from surgery without her there and had to wait through the night not knowing when I would get to see her.

My oxygen levels needed to stabilise and Mollie had to be taken to NICU, as the sepsis had unfortunately affected her slightly, so we were kept apart. I knew she was being cared for and was in the safest place possible, but it was incredibly hard knowing my tiny newborn baby was somewhere else and I couldn’t be with her.

When I finally met her the next morning, it was overwhelming. She was so tiny and perfect and I just remember feeling such a mixture of relief, love and sadness for everything we had both just been through.

The days that followed were really emotional for me. I missed some of the moments you dream about as a new mum – I didn’t get to hold her straight away, I didn’t get to change her first nappy or dress her in her first babygrow, and we didn’t get that immediate skin-to-skin time after she was born.

Because I was so unwell, it also took longer for us to establish feeding. Mollie needed donor milk in the first few days as my milk was delayed, which was yet another reminder of how poorly I had been.

Becoming a mum while recovering from major surgery and sepsis was incredibly hard. I wanted to give her everything straight away, but physically I just couldn’t, and that was something I really struggled with emotionally.

When my milk did finally come in and I was able to breastfeed her, it meant the world to me. It felt like one thing I could do for her after everything we had been through together, and it helped me begin to rebuild that bond.

Unfortunately, I was in and out of hospital for around three weeks after the birth as my wound became infected. Because the incision was vertical I had to use those muscles every time I lifted Mollie, fed her or moved around, which meant the wound kept opening and weeping. Despite the pain I still had to care for a newborn, so it was a very challenging time. Unfortunately, most of Pete’s paternity leave ended up being spent taking us back and forward to hospital appointments.

The team at the Royal Alexandra Maternity Hospital in Paisley truly saved our lives. I will never be able to thank them enough. Even during the most frightening moments they made me feel safe and cared for.

I’ve subsequently been receiving postnatal trauma support through the NHS for my mental health and it has helped enormously. The psychologist working with me has been incredibly patient and kind. That will likely continue for another couple of months.

It was my support network that made all the difference to me. Friends and family rallied around us in ways I will never forget – cooking meals, walking our dog, bringing tiny baby clothes, fresh pyjamas, giving me time to nap and sending messages, flowers and gifts. Those gestures meant everything during such a difficult time. And my husband Pete was incredible. We had just become new parents and he had to watch his wife go through something so frightening, but he stepped into fatherhood so naturally and supported both of us through it all. He had to take on many of Mollie’s first moments because I was so unwell, and he never once complained. He was my absolute rock.

Looking back, I know how lucky we were.

I was fortunate that the appendicitis happened late in pregnancy and that it was caught before the appendix ruptured fully. I’ve since been told that if treatment had been delayed any longer it could have been fatal for both of us.

The experience has changed how I view my health. I will always listen to my body and advocate for myself if something doesn’t feel right.

Just recently I had symptoms that reminded me of that time – a high temperature, shaking and sickness – and I immediately contacted NHS 111 and was admitted to hospital. Thankfully it turned out to be a viral infection, but the experience reinforced how important it is to act quickly when something doesn’t feel right.

Coincidentally, I had heard about Sepsis Research FEAT before because my cousin Orla is also a sepsis survivor, whose sepsis originally developed due to appendicitis. Orla shared her story with the charity as part of its first ever Student Sepsis Awareness campaign less than a month before I became ill myself and I’m very proud of her.

Reading the resources and other people’s stories on the charity’s website has been incredibly helpful. People really are warriors and what they’ve come through is so inspirational.

Sharing my own story is part of my healing, but I also hope it helps raise awareness.

I know my case was rare – the hospital staff even told me they had never seen anything quite like it before – but sepsis can develop incredibly quickly and recognising the signs early can save lives.

My biggest message would be to always listen to your body and trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, seek help and don’t ever worry about “wasting anyone’s time”. No question is a silly one when it comes to your health. You know your body better than anyone else and acting quickly can save lives.

But I would also say don’t be afraid to ask for help or to lean on the people around you. Becoming a mum while recovering from something so serious was incredibly hard and I wouldn’t have got through it without the support of my family and friends. Let people show up for you. Let them cook a meal, hold the baby while you rest, walk the dog or simply sit with you when things feel overwhelming. You don’t have to go through something like this alone.

Sepsis can escalate incredibly quickly. Recognising the signs and getting help early can make all the difference.

Charity comment:

Jenna’s story of the circumstances surrounding the birth of her daughter Mollie is heartbreaking.

Nothing played out as Jenna had hoped and she became desperately unwell. It was a terrifying moment in her life, which had a significant and frightening impact not just on Mollie’s birth but on Jenna’s health and the first few days and weeks of her experience of motherhood.

Jenna’s message to others in a similar position is to trust your instincts and not to be afraid to ask for help if something doesn’t feel right as an expectant or new mum. Her observation that ‘No question is a silly one when it comes to your health’ is spot-on.

Sepsis Research FEAT is very grateful to Jenna for sharing her story so bravely and poignantly, to help raise awareness of maternal sepsis and improve outcomes for others in the future. We wish Jenna, Pete and Mollie all the very best for the future.

7 May 2026

New paper from THIS, University of Cambridge

Abi research updates 0

A new paper examining issues of social frailty, published by THIS (The Healthcare Improvement Studies) Institute at the University of Cambridge, examines the long term issues sepsis survivors can face with recovery.

The team’s research shows that social frailty – financial strain, reduced social contact, treatment burden & family challenges – plays a major role but that there’s currently almost no support or care.

Published by Professor Joanne McPeake and colleagues, the paper is the next part of a study funded in 2023 by Sepsis Research FEAT into the long term outcomes of sepsis.

The paper concludes that ‘Future research should explore how social frailty could be managed across the recovery trajectory, including how services could be implemented in clinical practice.’ Sepsis Research FEAT looks forward to seeing the impact on post-sepsis care of implementation of the recommendations made via this paper

28 April 2026

Claire’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories 0

‘My mum was the life and soul of everything – she was always dancing, she was our dancing queen. She loved people and she made such a big impact on everyone who knew her.’

Hi, I’m Steph and I’m 20 years old. This Mother’s Day 2026 was the first year without my mum, Claire. We lost her very suddenly to sepsis in June last year at the age of just 47, which was a huge shock. My mum had two children – me and my sister Carmen, who was born asleep.

Mum was a senior staff nurse at Forth Valley Royal Hospital. She spent her whole career caring for other people and she knew a lot about sepsis which makes losing her to it even harder to understand.

She was the life and soul of everything – she loved dancing, loved people and she made such a big impact on everyone who knew her. That’s why this April over 30 of us will be taking part in the Glasgow Kiltwalk in her memory. The money we raise will help Sepsis Research FEAT fund more research to unlock faster diagnostics and better treatment treatments to save more lives in the future.

On Monday 23^rd June 2025 my mum didn’t go to work as usual at NHS Forth Valley Royal Hospital (FVRH), ward A31, Infectious Diseases. She was sick and generally feeling unwell, which we thought was just food poisoning as we had been at a BBQ the previous Saturday. I was working from home that day and noticed that my mum was in severe pain, so I phoned the doctor’s. They advised that I should phone 999, who in turn said that they couldn’t help and that I should phone the doctor… So I decided to take my mum to A&E at her own hospital – FVRH.

When we got there she was in a lot of pain and went straight to triage in A&E within 15 minutes. Within an hour she deteriorated very quickly though and her skin was turning purple. She was also delirious by this point. She was taken for a scan which could not identify the cause. It was decided that she should be put into an induced coma in ICU and started on dialysis. She then went into multi organ failure – the cause of which was unknown at the time, but we later found out was due to sepsis. After my mum passed, we also found out that she had no spleen, which explained why she was unable to recover.

She was never conscious enough to be informed of her diagnosis of sepsis. Because they were unsure of the cause at the beginning, the doctors explained to us that my mum was very ill and that she might not survive. To hear this made me feel physically sick. It is not what you expect when you thought your mum was just unwell. From taking my mum to hospital to being told this in the space of just three hours was something we struggled to comprehend. Especially as my mum was the fittest person we knew.

She spent a week in ICU on the ventilated coma receiving dialysis and was apparently on triple the amount of medication most patients receive.

When she died we were given brochures about support services and keepsakes from the ICU team. Our workplaces have also been very supportive. Sepsis Research FEAT was one of the first charities we heard about due to the link between the charity and FVRH (Dr Fiona Agnew, in whose memory Sepsis Research FEAT was founded, was a Falkirk GP and was herself treated for sepsis at FVRH). We have been able to share more information with others about sepsis via the charity. Sepsis is such a serious condition and we want people to understand the signs and act fast to get help if they spot any of them.

Sepsis can happen to everyone, no matter your age or health. It is a silent killer. I want to be able to share my mum’s story to help people understand that. Acting tough or brave and hiding your health could be fatal.

if you can, please take a moment to familiarise yourself with the signs of sepsis – recognising them early could genuinely save a life.

Charity comment:

Claire McCormack was just 47 years old when she died of sepsis. She was fit and healthy and, as a senior staff nurse in infectious diseases, she could not have been better informed. Steph’s quick action on her mum‘s behalf also made sure that she was in the right place to receive treatment. It was tragically all ultimately in vain though – the rapidity of the deterioration in Claire‘s condition must have been a huge shock to Steph and her stepfather of 12 years, Sandy.

Their message to others is very simple – that people need to inform themselves about the signs and symptoms of sepsis and speak up on their own behalf or that of others to get help quickly if they see anything unusual or a rapid deterioration in someone’s condition.

The fundraising that Steph and other members of Claire’s friends and family are undertaking in April 2026 is the second fundraising event in her memory. Huge numbers of people have turned out to pay their respects to someone they knew and loved, raising funds for this charity’s sepsis research and awareness work as they do so. Fundraising in memory of a friend or loved one is powerful and can be therapeutic. It’s a way of doing something that feels positive and powerful when loss to sepsis can be so shocking and painful.

If you would like to take part and improve outcomes for others in future, check out the 850+ events available to supporters of Sepsis Research FEAT via the link here.

And to support Steph and Team Turbinators in their April 2026 Kiltwalk challenge click here.

Sepsis Research FEAT is so grateful to Steph and all those who knew and loved Claire for all they have done to support this charity and its work since 2025 – we wish them all the very best of luck.

28 April 2026

Danny’s Sepsis Story

Abi Awareness, Sepsis Stories kidney infection, kidney stone 0

‘From one hour to the next, I faced a new challenge… My life and my family’s have been turned upside down, but my 3 year old boy has kept me going.’

My name is Danny and I am a 40-year-old husband and dad originally from Leicester but now living in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. For the last 23 years, I have worked as a self-employed barber and hairdresser. Outside of work I love gigs, music, tattoos, fashion and – most importantly – spending time with my family. I’ve been married to my wife, Annie-Starr, for seven years, and we have a three-year-old son, Otis, who is my world.

None of us ever imagined how quickly everything could change.

On Sunday 6th July 2025, I started experiencing severe pain. It escalated quickly, and, before I knew it, I was being rushed to hospital. Doctors discovered a kidney stone had led to a serious infection which meant that I had to have an emergency stent fitted.

What should have been a straightforward recovery turned into something far more serious as my body went into septic shock. Multiple organ failure followed soon after that. Everything happened incredibly fast – so fast that even now I struggle to process it all.

Then the worst happened as I went into cardiac arrest and my heart stopped for 20 minutes.

Once I had been brought back, I was placed into an induced coma that I am told lasted four weeks. My family were told I might not make it. The shock and horror they went through is something I can’t even begin to imagine properly. The incredible team at Glangwili General Hospital fought to keep me alive and they are the reason I’m here today.

From one hour to the next, I faced a new challenge – from round the clock ventilation to daily dialysis.

Even after surviving the coma, the complications kept coming. I eventually lost two toes to amputation. Then in October I developed septic arthritis in my knee, which required another operation. While waiting for an emergency kidney stent to be removed, my body began rejecting it. In January, in what proved to be yet another traumatic experience, I actually passed the stent and kidney stone myself in A&E.

I have a hole in my leg caused by an intraosseous access needle that was used in ICU, and I’m currently waiting for plastic surgery to repair it. I also have nerve damage in my feet, and district nurses regularly visit to help with ongoing treatment.

I still haven’t been able to return to work.

My life and my family’s have been turned upside down, but my 3 year old boy has kept me going. Recovery is slow and unpredictable, but I’m determined to keep moving forward. This experience has shown me how fragile life can be and how important awareness of sepsis is.

At some point in the future I’m planning to raise funds for the Ruby Rose Foundation and other sepsis charities with a sponsored mountain climb challenge up Pen y Fan. In the meantime if sharing my story can help even one person recognise the signs earlier or understand how serious sepsis can be, then it will mean something good came from this nightmare.

Before this happened to me, I didn’t really know much about sepsis. It’s something that can strike fast and change everything in a matter of hours.

I’m still on the road to recovery. I’m still waiting for surgery. I’m still working toward the day I can return to the barber’s chair and get back to the job and life I love.

But most importantly, I’m still here. And for that I’m incredibly grateful.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. It truly means a lot. If sharing this helps raise awareness and supports others facing sepsis, then it’s worth every word.

Charity Comment

Stories like Danny’s are a powerful reminder of why the work of Sepsis Research FEAT is so important.

Sepsis can strike suddenly and escalate with devastating speed, turning what begins as a treatable infection into a life-threatening medical emergency in a matter of hours. This story highlights the reality faced by thousands of families every year — the shock of critical illness, the long and difficult road to recovery, and the life-changing impact sepsis can leave behind.

We are so grateful to Danny and other sepsis survivors who share their experiences so openly. Speaking about sepsis is not easy, especially after such a traumatic journey, but stories like this play a vital role in raising awareness and helping others recognise the warning signs earlier. Greater awareness saves lives.

As a charity, Sepsis Research FEAT works to fund pioneering medical research aimed at improving the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sepsis – all identified as key priorities in a charity collaboration between patients, families, clinicians and the NIHR in 2023/24. The charity’s mission is simple but urgent: to ensure more people survive sepsis and that those who do survive have better outcomes and support during recovery.

Survivors and their families are at the heart of this work. We want to extend our sincere thanks to Danny and others like him who share their stories and fundraise to support this charity’s work, helping to help shine a light on a condition that still claims as many lives as breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined in the UK every year.