Hadley’s Sepsis Story – Casting Down Her Rae's of Sunshine
Hadley Rae was the sweetest little baby you could ever meet. She would light up the room with her laugh and smile from the day she was born. Our beautiful “Haddie” provided 8 months and 13 days of joy, love, smiles, and sunshine to her family and two big sisters.
She had her occasional colds and low-grade fever that seemed typical of teething or her building up an immune system. My husband and I would take her to the doctor numerous times throughout her time here and it was always something small like this.
Until 2 weeks before she died, we could tell Hadley was very sick. High fever, cough, congestion, phlegm, and very sleepy. Her older sister and I had the flu the week prior. We tested positive and recuperated quickly.
On March 11th, my husband took her to the pediatrician we have seen multiple times. They did not test her for the flu. Assuming that she had the flu – like her mother and big sister – she was given Tamiflu and sent home to rest. No tests were done.
Within a week later, she was back to feeling much better and fever-free. She went back to daycare for two days. On that second day, March 19th, I dropped Hadley off and I said “I love you Haddie. See you soon!”. She gave me the biggest smile ever.
Right before her nap that day, she was playing on the floor and fell asleep sitting up. She had a bottle and fell asleep again while eating.
Hadley was found unresponsive that afternoon when she was taking her last nap. Paramedics/firefighters rushed to try and revive her on the way to Cook’s Children’s emergency room in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She was brought back on the way to the hospital, but her blood pressure and vitals were too low.
My husband and I rushed to the emergency room after that phone call of “Hadley is not breathing…” from daycare. We watched the medical team at the hospital do everything in their power to bring her back...It didn’t make any sense to us. We pleaded and begged for our baby to come back to us – she seemed so healthy days and hours before…
An hour after the firefighters and paramedics arrived on scene and the medical team worked on her, she was pronounced deceased – with no known cause of dead at the time.
Two months later, we obtained a copy of her autopsy report – Klebsiella oxytoca sepsis. What in the world was that?!
Officials at Tarrant County Public Health in Fort Worth report that Klebsiella oxytoca sepsis is a systemic response to an infection that can lead to organ failure and death. On its own, Klebsiella oxytoca is found in the intestine and is considered healthy – but when it leaves the intestinal tract, a severe infection can develop.
Even though we have an “answer” from her medical report, I can’t help but to think if only there were more tests done along the way. If only they ran a CBC. Perhaps, we could have helped her in time. Our family wishes that this would be known and added to some protocol for children. Children cannot always tell us how they really feel. Awareness and advocacy for sepsis need to be brought to the world’s attention now – it may save your loved one’s life one day.
My family does know this, we want to keep spreading her “Rae’s” of sunshine across the world. In memory of Hadley, we have started random acts of kindness, big or small in memory of Hadley Rae Fowler.
We hope Hadley’s “Rae” reaches the masses. Today, March 19th, 2020, is the first anniversary of her death and will be the first annual “Hadley “Rae” Day”. We will use this day especially to spread her sunshine.
Please visit Hadley’s Facebook page and use #hadleysraeofsunshine to share your kindness in memory of our daughter.
The article above was written by Emily Fowler, Hadley’s mother, and is shared here with her explicit consent. The views in the article do not necessarily represent those of the Global Sepsis Alliance. They are not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The whole team here at the GSA and World Sepsis Day wishes to thank Emily for sharing her daughter’s story and for fighting to raise awareness for sepsis.