Read the Stories
Thea*
Today, Thea is approaching her fourth birthday. She has an identical twin and two other young sisters.
Thea was just a baby when she was struck by sepsis. She was lucky: she survived. But three years later, it is still affecting her life.
Pat*
My illness started on 20 May 2004. I felt great that day, but in the evening suddenly developed a fever and chills. The fever continued to rise during the night to over 40°C (104°F), and I was delirious. The next morning I had blue patches on my face and arms, which turned out to be dermatorrhagia.
Niklas*
My name is Niklas. I'm 16 years old, and am in my third year of college preparatory school in Switzerland. Four years ago, my life changed completely. One weekend in January 2008, I developed a fever and a sore throat. My parents took me to a doctor right away; he diagnosed it as a viral infection.
Amelie*
Our third son was born in May 2009. Two weeks after giving birth, I collapsed with a seizure. The cause was thrombosis in the dural venous sinuses and several strokes. Because of the rapidly rising pressure in my brain, a relatively large part of my skullcap had to be removed. Back in the neurological intensive care unit, I caught a germ infection and then developed severe sepsis,
Hans*
Hans, 60 years old
In early 2003, a tumor was found in my mouth. After several extensive examinations, I was operated on at a university hospital in March. The operation took 7.5 hours, and the tumor was completely removed. So the operation itself was a success.
* name changed
