Patricia D.

I came to the UK from Australia with my two youngest children to celebrate mum’s 80th at the end of February 2023. We were all so excited, as Covid had stopped previous plans to visit mum.

We met up with mum on 20th Feb. She looked so well, she was vibrant and excited about the birthday celebrations planned for the weekend. Healthwise she said she had a slight cold – it was not noticeable though. I remember thinking how good she looked for nearly 80. Throughout Monday to Wednesday we had a lovely time together there were no signs that she was unwell. We weren’t staying at mum’s tiny bungalow and therefore we didn’t see her on the Thursday as she had other arrangements. We did receive a message from her to say that she was feeling a bit off with a stomach upset and was resting. I wasn’t too concerned at this stage as mum lived with her very caring partner. However, it seemed strange when I got no response on the Friday morning to either phone calls or texts. I then had contact with mum’s partner who told me she was in hospital in accident and emergency due to having a high fever over Thursday night.

We raced to the hospital to find mum in Resus on oxygen, sounding very croaky and a bit short of breath. She was still able to chat and was cheerful. She seemed unwell but not too bad at that stage. It wasn’t until the nurse showed me mum’s legs and feet that the gravity of the situation hit me – her legs were mottled and dark purple and her feet extremely cold. As a nurse myself I realised this was sepsis and very serious. A doctor called me into a room and said that mum had bilateral consolidation of the lungs (pneumonia) and this was likely the source. Nothing over the previous days had hinted at any chest problem let alone pneumonia. (Sepsis and Pneumonia)

Mum was transferred to ITU which is where she spent her 80th birthday. For a day or two it seemed that mum had stabilised – she was able to chat although on high flow oxygen, she was even able to sit out of bed and drink a cup of tea on one occasion. However this didn’t last and hopes of recovery were dashed – mum’s kidneys failed and the sepsis progressed to multiple organ failure. She died peacefully in ITU on 8th March…..Sepsis took my dear mothers life. it was all so unexpected. It is heart-breaking. She was so happy and had a loving partner who is now heartbroken and alone. Our excitement of seeing mum for the first time in so long was dashed – wretched sepsis.

RIP mum – we all love you until we meet again.

Source: Julia Davidson - daughter