Dianne Velez
My daughter, Dianne Velez died on January 31, 2012. We don’t have the final medical report yet as they are trying to find out the initial cause of the sepsis. She did have internal bleeding from ulcers about 8 years ago and, if the ulcers returned, that might be the source. The initial report was heart attack, but that was just from the policeman who found her. The autopsy report was sepsis. She was 48 years old.
Dianne had just completed a move from one apartment to another a few days before – a lot of carrying and heavy lifting. She could have gotten small cuts in the process and never been aware there was a problem. She was on painkillers for a back injury, so that may have masked any initial pain as the infection took hold.
Dianne was a hospice worker, and loved it. She said she had finally found out what she wanted to do with her life. She always did enjoy helping others.
The picture is her wedding picture. She and her long time partner, Jorge, were married 4 years ago.
I was vaguely aware of sepsis before, but didn’t know much about it. I had cellulitis about 3 years ago, and the doctor mentioned that sepsis was a possibility if it went untreated.
Source: by Grace Ackerman (Dianne's mother)
