My daughter, Georgia Coulson, who is 20, very nearly died of sepsis in September 2021. She became very ill, very quickly, with pneumonia and sepsis caused by invasive group A streptococcus. The sepsis caused multiple organ failure (including her heart). She spent 17 days in a coma on a ventilator in ICU while fighting the infection and recovering from the sepsis, and a further couple of weeks in hospital at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, in Bristol, where she is a student. During her time in ICU, she nearly lost her right lung, and had surgery to drain a ruptured abscess which caused her lung to collapse.
After being taken off the ventilator, Georgia was very weak and had to learn to sit, stand, walk, talk, swallow and eat all over again, and deal with the psychological trauma of being in a coma for 17 days (she had no idea!). All the staff at the Bristol Royal Infirmary were amazing.
She is now on the road to recovery with me at home in Guildford but she is not well enough to join me on this ride. Her full recovery is expected to take 12 months. We are both keen to raise money for the Sepsis Trust, which has been a great source of support and information to us both.
From the Sepsis Trust: Fundraising is at the heart of our fight against sepsis. It raises awareness, and sparks the question: What is sepsis? In this way, fundraising can help prevent thousands of deaths & unnecessary suffering through knowledge & awareness of the symptoms. It also funds our vital support work, Public Awareness, Educating Health Professionals & helping people adjust to life after sepsis through accessing our Support Group network. We also lobby government to support our cause and makes vital changes in areas such as the NHS.
