Throughout September, to mark Sepsis Awareness month, myself and 4 fellow Newcastle Mott MacDonald colleagues are taking part (again) in the "Step up to Sepsis" challenge in aid of the UK Sepsis Trust. This year we have more than 60 teams participating from across the globe!

Our local team consists of Emma Bassett (me), Ellen Hann, Sarah May, Olivia O'Toole and Christopher Jackson, with the catchy team name of 'Tyne to Step up for Sepsis', I think my Geordie mum would be proud.

In February 2016 my mum died from Sepsis. She had only a sore throat for about a week, but came along to my daughters 5th birthday party on the Sunday before and took her to gymnastics on the Wednesday, chatting away with my 8 year old son. On the Friday evening although having spent most of the day in bed, she was able to instruct my dad on how to cook his tea before sitting down to rest. After tea, my dad found my mum unresponsive. By the time I put my kids to bed, organised childcare and got to hospital she had gone.

Despite having attended several First Aid courses over the years, I had never heard of Sepsis. I even attended a course later that year and it wasn't mentioned. It was only several years later with the grief and confusion still overwhelming that I learnt from our shared GP that the cause was Sepsis, which led me to my own learning of this hideously brutal illness.

Now, I would ask: 'Could it be Sepsis?'.

Every year in the UK alone, 245,000 people are affected by sepsis, and at least 48,000 people lose their lives to sepsis-related illnesses. The UK Sepsis Trust exists to fight this life-threatening condition and stop preventable deaths.

This is my second year participating in the challenge, alongside two of my returning work team mates who I am very grateful to, and two newbies. We're even 'competing' against one of our team mates from last year!

Tyne to Step up for Sepsis are determined to help surpass last year's step count which equated to the steps taken to walk 2.12 times around the equator! We've spent the last week already gearing each other on, to fight the lethargy after a day of a pathetic step counts back and forth from desk to kettle, to get ourselves up and out to get in those steps. Weekends are going to have to be my saviour!

So please consider giving what you can. And please I personally beg you to familiarise yourselves with the symptoms of Sepsis located at the link below:

https://sepsistrust.org/about-sepsis/