First Sepsis Awareness Month Proclamation of 2022 Has Been Issued

July 14, 2022

Sepsis Alliance is pleased to share that the first Sepsis Awareness Month state proclamation of 2022 has been issued in Texas! Governor Greg Abbott signed the document on July 8, making it the first of what will hopefully be 50 state proclamations for sepsis awareness this year.   

Sepsis Awareness Month became a nationwide observance in 2011. Even though sepsis, the body’s toxic response to infection, is the number one cause of death in U.S. hospitals, 35% of U.S. adults have never heard of the condition, and even more cannot name the signs and symptoms. Sepsis Awareness Month was established to address this lack of understanding and to save lives through increased public awareness. For the past 11 years, members of the Sepsis Alliance advocacy community have petitioned their governors’ offices to acknowledge Sepsis Awareness Month with state proclamations.  

State proclamations are official documents issued by governors, meant to honor or create awareness of a topic of statewide significance. Sepsis is one of those topics: it affects 1.7 million people in the United States each year across all 50 states, and takes more lives than prostate cancer, breast cancer, and opioid overdose combined.  

The 2022 Texas proclamation was secured by Sepsis Alliance advocate Damon Lampis, a Texas resident and sepsis survivor whose passion caught the attention of his governor’s office. “I can’t tell you how excited I was to receive this,” he told Sepsis Alliance, just after receiving the proclamation in the mail. “I hope it helps raise awareness of sepsis for Texans, from every small town to major metros in our great state.”  

More than half of states have now recognized the observance over the years. Your state may have been one of those that recognized Sepsis Awareness Month in the past – but many people don’t realize that proclamations need to be renewed every year, so requests must be resubmitted on an annual basis. It is thanks to the hard work of sepsis advocates like Damon that we continue to see proclamations issued annually.  

Damon Lampis, Texas-based sepsis advocate and survivor.

In the 2022 Texas proclamation, Governor Abbott expressed gratitude for Damon’s work on behalf of Texans affected by sepsis. “In Texas, we know that it is not our challenges that define us, but rather how we rise above them,” the document reads. “I commend you for your efforts to raise awareness of sepsis, to support patients with this condition and their families, and to advocate for vital research. I join you in looking forward to the day when sepsis is eradicated once and for all.”  

Damon reflected on the importance of his advocacy work. “As a sepsis survivor,” he said, “I feel tremendously obligated to inform and educate people about sepsis and T.I.M.E. every single day.” His hard work is paying off – congratulations on this major milestone, Damon! 

Will you help us reach our goal of 50 state proclamations in 2022?  You can contact your governor in just a few clicks on our website. Join the effort today by clicking here! 

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