On May 8th around midnight I got a high fever and was throwing up for 12 hours. Me and my parents thought it was just the stomach flu. On May 9th, the next day my fever went down and I stopped throwing up. I was still having horrible body aches and could barely walk. I thought it was just bad flu body aches so I didn’t think much of it. That night is when things took a turn for the worst. I couldn’t feel my feet and they were cold and white. My mom said I had black spots all ... Read Full Story

I developed severe sepsis and went into septic shock in March 2023, at 23 years old. I was on TPN (total parenteral nutrition) as a result of my Crohn’s disease. (Sepsis and Invasive Devices) Unfortunately TPN is almost like agar used in microbiology lab and Crohn’s disease changes the permeability of the intestines making it easier for bacteria to leak out into the bloodstream, making the combination a perfect storm. I had labs drawn weekly and I got a call in the evening that my WBC count was elevated and to monitor my temperature. At that point I was at ... Read Full Story

On January 31st, 2023 at 28, after suffering from an extremely sore throat, I went into septic shock and had toxic shock as well. All from strep throat, which I had never even had as a kid! (Sepsis and Strep Throat) There’s arriving at the hospital and then about a 3 week gap in memory, replaced by bizarre dreams. My kidneys and heart both failed and I narrowly escaped needing ECMO. I was in the hospital and rehab for about four months. I had my right arm below the elbow amputated as well as my fingers and toes. Three months ... Read Full Story

The week of April 22 started as an ordinary busy week for me.  I teach at a preschool during the week, and I am a volunteer first responder, so I had classes each night that week. On Tuesday, we had a stomach virus in my classroom at school, so on Wednesday when I felt nausea hit me at school and some lower left quadrant pain, I was sure the stomach virus had found me. I asked to go home, assuming I would be sick 24 hours and then could resume my work and rescue classes.   On Wednesday and Thursday, ... Read Full Story

In January, 2019, I fell on the ice and severed my femur, which resulted in a hip replacement. Six weeks following that, same hip get slammed by a malfunctioning elevator door, almost knocking me to the ground. From that point on, my leg was constantly draining what seemed to be lymphatic fluid. The doctors input on this, “I’ve never seen this before. I guess some people are extra juicy”. This went on for weeks, until there developed an infection. Now 8 weeks of antibiotics with a PICC at home. Continued pain off and on… for 4 years! Sometimes so bad, ... Read Full Story