I came back home from a long trip and met one of my young daughters looking so lean and slim, and I was like, are you growing taller or just slimming to fashion? Her siblings said, “No Mum, she had been ill with a fever that is not responding to treatment.” My first thought was typhoid fever, because this was quite prevalent in our areas, with the lack of clean drinking water and other environmental issues.
So, off to the hospital, we went to see a doctor. After laying all her complaints, and after examination the doctor ordered some laboratory investigations which included Blood Culture. Meanwhile, she was given anti-malarial medications, antibiotics, and fluids (intravenous infusion) as she was unable to eat anything, and was dehydrated. Despite these measures, her condition worsened. She became lethargic to the point of needing support to walk. Suddenly, a realization hit me, “Could this be sepsis?”
Incidentally, all these took place at the weekend, when there’s this lackadaisical attitude and manpower shortages in all departments. The laboratory was working half–capacity, and no scientist on the ground to give us a preliminary result. I thought I could not wait until Monday before commencing her proper treatment to manage what was unfolding in front of us by the second.
I promptly returned her to the doctor and recommended starting her on broad-spectrum antibiotics to cover a wide range of possible infections. We also administered supplemental oxygen because her oxygen levels were below normal.
There was an issue with the hospital’s stock of antibiotics, so my husband had to buy the prescribed antibiotic from the pharmacy across the street. When he initially brought back the medication, I realized it was not the specific antibiotic the doctor had prescribed for her condition. I pleaded with him to go back and buy the exact one prescribed because this was a life-and-death situation, and we couldn't take any chances.
At this point, I was becoming so anxious and getting worried that I might lose my daughter if proper care was not taken. All the family members gave the spiritual and psychological support that was needed.
Fortunately, by the second day of receiving the antibiotic, she started to recover gradually, gaining her strength and appetite, her fever dropped and at that moment, I knew we had won the battle. My sweet sixteen-year-old girl was back on her feet, and is a “Sepsis Survivor”!
Sepsis presented itself at my doorstep when I least expected it, being an advocate and a sepsis Champion, I am glad that I was able to recognize it early and gave the right drug at an early stage to combat it. In doing so, I stopped sepsis and saved a life!
Halima Salisu-Kabara
Mother to the Sepsis Survivor
The article above was written by Halima Salisu Kabara, one of our Global Sepsis Alliance Board Members, and is shared 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 Global Sepsis Alliance and World Sepsis Day wishes to thank her for sharing her daughter’s story and for fighting to raise awareness for sepsis.
