In December 2024, just a few days before Christmas, our lives changed forever.

What should have been a fairly straightforward cancer operation went terribly wrong. An infection quickly developed into sepsis, and within hours my husband became critically ill. We were suddenly told just how serious his condition was, and our family was told to prepare ourselves as we faced the terrifying possibility of losing him.

Christmas became the last thing on our minds. Instead of celebrating together, we spent it by his bedside, praying he would survive.

He spent two weeks in Intensive Care (ICU), including the first four days on life support, suffering multiple organ failure. His kidneys began to fail, requiring two separate sessions of dialysis, and every day felt like another battle. After ICU, he spent a further two weeks on a hospital ward before beginning rehabilitation with the Recovery after Critical Illness Team (RaCI). Those weeks are something our family will never forget.

Thanks to the incredible care he received from the NHS, he survived. We will always be grateful to the doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals who saved his life.

But surviving sepsis wasn’t the end of the story.

After he was discharged from hospital, we hoped the worst was behind us. Sadly, it wasn’t. He spent months being readmitted to hospital time and time again with ongoing complications. Each admission brought fresh uncertainty and reminded us that recovery from sepsis is rarely straightforward.

Today, he lives with Post Sepsis Syndrome, a condition that many people have never heard of but one that affects countless sepsis survivors. It brings ongoing physical and emotional challenges that don’t simply disappear once you’re home from hospital.

Some days are good. Other days are incredibly difficult.

He continues to live with chronic kidney disease and requires regular monitoring at the renal clinic. Fatigue, pain, reduced stamina and the emotional impact of everything he went through remain part of everyday life. Recovery isn’t a straight line, and our family’s life has changed in ways we never expected.

Sepsis doesn’t just affect the person who becomes ill—it affects everyone who loves them.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection begins to attack its own tissues and organs. It affects hundreds of thousands of people every year, yet many people still don’t recognise the warning signs. Early recognition and rapid treatment save lives.

That’s why we’re taking on the Great North Run.

We’re running to say thank you for the chance we still have together.

We’re running to raise awareness so that more people recognise the signs of sepsis, seek urgent medical help, and understand that recovery doesn’t end when someone leaves hospital. Survivors can face months or even years of ongoing challenges, and support doesn’t stop once the immediate danger has passed.

We’re also running to support the incredible work of the UK Sepsis Trust, who provide vital information, support and guidance to families affected by sepsis, while helping to educate healthcare professionals and the public so more lives can be saved.

Sepsis can happen to anyone, at any age. It doesn’t discriminate, and it can change a family’s life in a matter of hours.

If you’re able to sponsor us, no matter how big or small the donation, you’ll be helping the UK Sepsis Trust continue their life-saving work, support more families like ours, and raise awareness of this devastating condition.

Please click the Donate button to support our team, or visit our individual fundraising pages below to read each of our personal stories and follow our progress.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read our story, for cheering us on, and for supporting us. Every donation, every share and every message of encouragement means more to us than we can ever say.

If sharing our experience helps just one person recognise the signs of sepsis sooner, or helps one family avoid going through what we did, then every mile we run will have been worth it.