Randy Pew

In the fall of 2016, I became ill with what was first diagnosed as bronchitis at our local ER. In less than 12 hours, I was back in the ER with symptoms of pneumonia, high fever and being disoriented. (Sepsis and Pneumonia) I was immediately flown to a larger hospital which was a 2-hour drive away, but by helicopter was about 40 minutes. By the time I got to the hospital, I had to be intubated. For the next 19 days, I was in ICU. It took 2 of those days to finally get a diagnosis of pneumonia, Strep A and sepsis…..I had multiple organ failure and did not have a good chance of surviving. (Sepsis and Group A Streptococcus)

The doctors who were a part of my team were aggressive in treating my condition. I had round the clock prayer vigils and became a “walking miracle” to everyone around me. It has not been an easy 2 years, but I am alive and want to let people know about sepsis. I have had friends who have died as a result of sepsis before I was diagnosed and after, just recently a very dear friend whose story was the same as mine when he went into the hospital; yet, he did not survive.

There have been many ups and downs with my health throughout the past two years and Sepsis Alliance has helped me a lot in finding out what life is likely to be like after sepsis with many symptoms of having sepsis still around today. I’ve struggled with sepsis arthritis, which resulted in a hip replacement…..both knees will be replaced in the winter of 2019. I barely could walk, rehab was necessary, and I could not hold a pen or pencil let alone sign my name. The rehab nurse suggested playing a card game (with real cards) so that I could “relearn” how to pick up a card, get the dexterity back in my hands. As time went on, I got bored with card games (solitaire) and picked up a pencil and started drawing (scrawling is more like it). Little by little my scrawls turned into drawings of trees. I’ve managed to include bears, houses, churches, etc. all of which came from “pictures in my head”. As a result of this new “miracle talent” I’ve been able to share my story of sepsis survival by showing my drawings at local galleries and making friends and family aware of the dangers of sepsis.

Please continue to educate everyone on this deadly and serious disease.

Source: Valerie Pew, wife