Steph Covington

I had never heard of sepsis until I was a survivor of it. My mom, an ICU nurse, recognized the signs that I was going into septic shock and she saved my life. Here is my story:

In 2015, when I was 19, I was diagnosed with a 4mm kidney stone that quickly led to pyelonephritis within 72 hours. (Sepsis and Kidney Stones) I was in the hospital for 5 days, the ICU for 2 days, and went through a few outpatient procedures following my discharge home.

I remember the chills and shaking as the infection took over, the delusions and mental impact of my time in the ER, and my confusion while in the ICU. After a few days of battling sickness and a much-need blood transfusion, I eventually went home to continue recovering until the kidney stone could be removed. I survived septic shock because of the quick actions of my mom and the medical professionals trained in sepsis response. I am now 30 years old with a master’s degree, full time job in HR, and a wonderfully crazy cat named Travis.