Patients & Family

Sepsis Alliance provides information and resources to help you better understand your or your loved one’s sepsis diagnosis.

Diagnosed with Sepsis

For anyone recently diagnosed with sepsis, this is the place to start.

Sepsis Basics

Sepsis Survivors

Some sepsis survivors recover completely and resume their lives, while others may struggle to cope with enduring effects of their illness. Here you can find information to help you navigate post-sepsis life.

Survivor Resources

Caregivers

When your loved one becomes ill with sepsis, you may not know what sepsis is or how to help them. Here are resources that may help you navigate this complex and difficult journey.

Caregiver Resources

Lost Loved Ones

Losing a loved one to sepsis can leave you with grief as well as many questions. Here are answers to some of the questions you may have after losing a loved one to sepsis.

Resources for Loved Ones

Sepsis Alliance Connect

Sepsis Alliance Connect is the virtual support community for anyone affected by sepsis.

Sepsis Alliance Connect

Faces of Sepsis

Susan H.

Survivor

The Day I went missing. November 24, 2020 was the last day before Thanksgiving Break from high school. I am a 62 yr. old female, entering my 18th year of teaching special education. I had a history of diverticulosis, my father died when I was 18 of colon cancer. I was consistent with preventive colon care, but had been hospitalized for a night for diverticulitis in 2019. After the infection had cleared, a colonoscopy revealed severe diverticulosis, and gastro doctor advised 11 inches be taken out. My husband and I both met with him and got a second opinion, and ... Read Full Story

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Deb de B

Survivor, Survivor

Translated from Dutch, original text below. We went to Spain on holiday for 9 days. My husband and I had 4 wonderful days but I started not feeling well on the 5th day. I was vomiting and had diarrhea. I spent the next day in the hotel room. I had muscle pains all over my body and a swollen belly. My husband asked a doctor come. I had some flu symptoms. The doctor gave me some kind of injection in my buttock, paracetamol and something to treat dehydration. That was that. At night I woke up to pee, but I ... Read Full Story

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Ann H.

Survivor, Survivor, Survivor

On April 17th, 2025 I went to the walk in clinic with a very slight wheeze thinking my asthma was acting up. The nurse practitioner gave me some prednisone and said everything else looked okay. This was just a precaution. I took my first dose of prednisone that night. April 18th I felt great. No more wheeze and felt as if nothing had flared up. I took the dog for a run. While on the run I felt chilly so we went home. I was a bit tired and retired for the night around 10 pm. After about 1 hour ... Read Full Story

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Liz Hopkins Ibsen

Survivor, Survivor, Survivor, Survivor

We evacuated to Columbus, GA, for hurricane Katrina in 2005. I spent endless hours watching the news footage and my co-workers on the roof of Tulane & Charity hospitals. One night I went to bed with chills, and my husband saw that my eyes were “rolling to the back of my head” and I was “burning up”. He called the front desk and Red Cross in a panic. They found a local physician who was taking in “refugees”. I couldn’t even sit up in a chair at the doctor’s office, so I laid on the floor. They couldn’t get a ... Read Full Story

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Braxton Bumgarner

Survivor, Survivor, Survivor, Survivor, Survivor

Braxton is a 13-year-old 7th grader. 5 months ago on August 1, 2024, he said his knee hurt. The next day, it hurt worse, so his Dad took him to urgent care. The doctor basically told him he didn’t really know what pain was even though he said it was a 10. My husband asked if it could be an infection and he said no, he wasn’t showing any signs, even though he never did anything other than an x-ray. He told us to rotate Motrin and Tylenol for the pain. 2 days later we took him to our local ... Read Full Story

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