Here are some guidelines to help you share your experience and tips to help you get started if you don’t know how to start.
- Submissions should be no longer than 1000 words. The ideal length is 600 to 800 words.
- If contributing a survivor story on someone else’s behalf, the person the story is about must be aware and consent to having the story posted on Sepsis.org. This consent must be in writing and signed by the individual survivor or authorized representative and available should Sepsis Alliance request it.
- If submitting a tribute, the contributor should be an immediate family member or have permission from an immediate family member, if one is available. The contributor shall provide written proof of his/her relationship and the appropriate individual’s written and signed consent should Sepsis Alliance request it.
- If desired, contributors may use first name, last name initial only, for confidentiality purposes.
- Photos are not mandatory, however stories with photos do have higher readership.
- Photos submitted with the story must be a non-copyrighted photo of the face of the person the story is about.
- Stories submitted with derogatory or inappropriate language will not be published.
- Names of facilities or individuals (such as doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals) will not be published.
- Links to other pages may be included, but Sepsis Alliance reserves the right to remove any links from any story that do not fit its mission.
Do you want to contribute to Faces of Sepsis but don’t know where or how to start? The experiences that most people read and identify with have some things in common. They:
- Are between 600 to 800 words.
- Identify the type of infection they had (if they know).
- Describe how they are doing now if the story is about a survivor
If you don’t know how to start, read the questions below and perhaps answer the ones that apply. These are just suggestions and you don’t need use this model if you would prefer to write in a different style. You can also read other experiences at Faces of Sepsis and pick out what you like about their writing, so that you can mimic the flow in your own submission.
- Who is the story about?
- If you are submitting the story about someone else, what is your connection to the person you are writing about?
- What is the age of the person the story is about?
- What do they do for a living, or what hobbies do they enjoy? If they are in school, what grade are they in?
- What symptoms did the person experience?
- How soon did the person seek medical care? Was it their decision or someone else’s?
- What did the staff tell you or the person who was ill? Was sepsis ever mentioned?
- How long was the person in the hospital?
- How is the person doing now, if this is a survivor’s story?
- Had you or the person who was ill heard of sepsis before this happened?
- What helped you the most when you were in the hospital or caring for your loved one?
These are just examples of questions you may want to ask yourself as you write your story. It is up to you how much you want to share or keep private. If you have any questions, please email us at info@sepsis.org.
To share your story, click here.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
