Judith Clark

Survivor

In 2015 I was on a cruise ship on the Atlantic Ocean when my appendix ruptured. (Sepsis and Appendicitis) After hours of waiting, a Portuguese military helicopter airlifted me to the Ponte Delgada in the Azore Islands.

I had a ruptured appendix and sepsis for about 8 hours. It was difficult to know how long I went with a ruptured appendix prior to surgery. After 5 hours of surgery and 2 weeks in the hospital, I returned home to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Since then I had 2 surgeries for an incisional hernia and 1 surgery for adhesiolysis. Through all of this I have had a compromised immune system giving me chronic fatigue of 5 weeks with every minor cold. I also now have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) requiring pancreatic enzymes in capsule form. Later this month I am getting an endoscopic ultrasound to look more closely at my pancreas. I had adhesions again as well. I have had 2 intestinal obstructions and chronic diarrhea. I had to retire. There is no end in sight and expect my life to be shorter than normal.

Send us Your Story
Learn More about SepsisSupport Faces of Sepsis