Amye Williams

In May of 2013, I had been sick on and off for 2 months. My internist had sent me to an infectious disease specialist, an autoimmune specialist, and an endocrinologis . They found phenomena in my blood, treated me, but I kept losing weight. On Mother’s Day, my lymph nodes started what I can only call exploding. It was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced.

My fever went to 105 degrees. I really thought the thermometer was broken. I called my best friend who told me to put my 17-year-old daughter on the phone. She told my daughter to take me to the ER “NOW.” We walked in. They took my blood pressure and it was 60 over 30. Then it began. I remember hearing the doctor say “Sepsis.” I knew that was really bad. For a week I had a team of doctors working to save my life. It was like an episode of “House” that wouldn’t end. They thought I had leukemia, lymphoma, they brought in an oncologist/ hematologist. I was in liver failure, kidney failure, at one point there were 3 different bags of elephant antibiotics pouring into my IV.

They put in a PICC Line, when all my veins couldn’t take anymore and they knew I was going to need care beyond my hospitalization. To this day we do not know how strep AND pneumonia got into my blood. I didn’t know why the doctors and nurses kept looking at my toes. Now I do. I escaped with my body intact. I went home with the PICC line and had nurses everyday for a month.

I suffered significant cognitive damage. My short-term memory is very poor and huge chunks of my life before sepsis are missing. I am a songwriter/singer, I write on the guitar, it took a good 7 months for my brain to get the message to my hands to play. As blessed as I am, and I am SO blessed to be alive. There are lingering emotional and psychological scars. I am so afraid of getting sick, really terrified of germs and there is a lot of guilt around my daughters having to tell me things over and over. I thank God for my best friend Bethany Clauson, my doctor and the team of excellent nurses and doctors at the hospital where I was treated and where my two youngest daughters were born. Because of the aggressive care I received my girls still have their Mom and I am going to get to see them become mommies too someday. I have discovered how precious life is and I am overwhelmed with gratitude everyday that with the love and care of a small village… I Survived Sepsis.