Steven had been feeling “pretty sick” for a while when he finally got to the hospital. There, too, the doctors don’t initially know what’s wrong with the 36-year-old father; they can only identify internal bleeding. “We didn’t know back then that this was just the beginning,” writes his sister Michelle on the GoFundMe donation portal. There she shares her brother’s story. Try to raise money for the family’s bills.
A “rare bacterium” leads to sepsis
After a short time, Steven’s condition worsens. Eventually his organs fail and he is put into an induced coma. The doctors finally find out that the trigger is a “rare bacterium”. The infection triggers sepsis. “An ingrown hair was the trigger for this ordeal,” Michelle shares on her TikTok account. She hopes Steven’s story raises awareness. Because such infections happen every day and could be fatal.
More than 13 million people worldwide die from sepsis every year as a result of such an infection. According to the WHO, most deaths could be avoided. It is therefore important to always take existing infections seriously, monitor them carefully, and if the signs of infection do not improve quickly, treat them consistently according to medical advice.
Signs of infection that you should keep an eye on
The symptoms of sepsis include, for example
an increased pulse, fever and chills
But even without these signs, sepsis can be present. Alarm sign are in any case
an extreme, previously unknown feeling of illness, acute confusion or disorientation, severe rapid breathing.
A chain reaction to organ failure
In Steven’s case, the infection was only recognized late and his body was rapidly weakening due to sepsis. In sepsis, pathogens penetrate the bloodstream, triggering an inflammatory reaction throughout the body and resulting in a chain reaction of the immune system. However, due to the overactivated immune system, the body not only fights the pathogens, but also healthy cells and organs. The consequences are multi-organ failure and septic shock.
This is what happens in Steven’s case too. He suffers a stroke, has “massive blood clots” in his legs and heart, and finally pneumonia, followed by acute respiratory distress syndrome, so that he has to be ventilated from now on. When the infection reaches his heart, Steven has to undergo two serious operations. After that, the doctors have little hope. They advise the family to turn off life support measures. “They told us he was brain dead,” Michelle says.
“It was a miracle”
But the family doesn’t give up – and is right. Just a few weeks later, Steven wakes up from his coma. A miracle for his sister Michelle. “We never gave up hope. We knew that he fought just as hard as the doctors.” Today the father of the family is walking again and is gradually finding his way back to everyday life. His relatives are glad they didn’t listen to the doctors’ advice.
“Doctors make mistakes too,” says Michelle. However, the family is now focusing on Steven’s recovery. Donations are still being collected because Steven is not insured and the illness cost a lot of money and time, also because the family was always at his side. However, after everything that has happened, Michelle is sure: “Miracles happen.”