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I didn’t even know what sepsis was until I had to tell my devastated niece and nephew their mammy was going to die
Sinead says she'd never even heard of the illness that claimed Tracey's life so suddenly
WHEN Tracey Corcoran asked her sister Sinead to "look after my kids if anything happens to me", neither sister expected that to ever come true.
Sinead was a doting aunt to William, now 16, and Sophie, now 17, but little did she realise she would one day become their legal guardian after losing her beloved sister to sepsis.
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The illness claimed Tracey’s life in June 2020, aged 37.
Now Sinead and her brother James are campaigning to raise awareness of the condition, warning that fast treatment saves lives.
"We don’t want any other family to lose their sister, daughter or mammy like we have," says Sinead, 47, from Ballyphehane, near Cork, Ireland.
"I didn’t even know what sepsis was until it happened to us.
READ MORE ON SEPSIS
"Telling William and Sophie that their mammy was going to die was the hardest thing I’ve never had to do. They were absolutely hysterical.
"We were allowed to visit her in hospital to say our goodbyes, and as the kids climbed into bed with her, that’s when she slipped away.
"The nurse said she’d waited for them.
"I never told her what an amazing mammy she was. I wish I had."
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With a six-and-a-half year age difference, Sinead and Tracey bickered as children when Tracey sneaked into her big sister’s bedroom to steal her clothes.
But as adult women they grew close, especially when Tracey had Sophie and William.
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Sinead adored being an aunt and often accompanied them on family trips to the beach.
"We used to go out for drives and treat the kids to a McDonald's – I always said 'ugh' when Tracey insisted on putting curry sauce on her burger," laughs Sinead.
When Tracey was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and a rare autoimmune system called Still’s disease, she sometimes ended up in hospital, so her family rallied to help look after the kids.
One afternoon, Sinead remembers her sister asking her a very serious question.
"She said, 'If anything happens to me, I want you to have the kids',’ Sinead explains.
"I laughed and said, 'Who – me?', but she said she was serious.
"It was just an off-hand comment though. I don’t think either of us ever expected it to come true."
Worrying signs
On May 22, we had a socially-distanced get-together in the garden, with Tracey passing out cups of coffee.
"The next morning she phoned me to say she felt rough," says Sinead.
";It wasn’t unusual – Tracey’s compromised immune system meant she often picked up bugs.
"I told her to stay in bed and ring the doctor. Her GP gave her an antibiotic injection, but the next day she felt even worse."
Paramedics came out to Tracey, but because of fears over taking her into hospital and potentially exposing her to Covid, they thought it was safer to give her a drip at home.
By the next day, Sinead was getting really worried.
Tracey seemed confused and she hadn’t passed urine all day.
Their parents decided to take her to A&E at Cork University Hospital.
I’d never heard of sepsis before, but I read that it could be fatal. All we could do was pray
Sinead
"A doctor told our mum that of all the things wrong with your daughter right now, Covid was least of his worries," Sinead remembers.
"We were told Tracey might have developed pneumonia."
Twenty four hours later, on May 27, Sinead got a call to say Tracey was in intensive care in an induced coma.
"Something left my body that day," she says. "In my heart of hearts I already knew she’d gone.
"Then they were saying a 'blood infection' and 'septic shock'.
"I Googled those phrases and found a website about sepsis.
"I’d never heard of it before, but I read that it could be fatal. For the next month, all we could do was pray."
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A month later, doctors explained that nothing more could be done.
Her family were allowed to go into the hospital to say goodbye as the life support machine was switched off.
A post mortem examination confirmed that Tracey had died of sepsis, although they couldn’t pinpoint the precise infection that started it.
In February, when Sinead went to court to be granted legal guardianship of her niece and nephew, she also organised for them to have grief counselling and support.
Meanwhile, she and James became trustees of the Irish Sepsis Foundation.
Sinead says: "Sepsis can be deadly if it isn’t treated quickly but the symptoms can be confusing and hard to spot.
"I didn’t realise that things like a lack of urination can be a tell-tell sign, and remembered Tracey not going to the toilet the day before she was admitted to hospital."
The scary truth about sepsis
SEPSIS happens when the body responds to an infection.
It is can be difficult to spot, and it can be life-threatening.
- There are 47 to 50million cases of sepsis every year worldwide
- At least 11million people die from sepsis annually
- One in five deaths globally is associated with sepsis
- As many as 40 per cent of cases are in children under the age of five
- Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals
- It is also the most common reason for hospital admission
- Up to 50 per cent of all sepsis survivors suffer from long-term physical or psychological effects
Symptoms can be vague, but if you notice any of the following, seek urgent medical attention:
- S: Slurring speech or confusion
- E: Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- P: Passing no urine (in a day)
- S: Severe breathlessness
- I: It can feel like you’re going to die
- S: Skin mottled or discoloured
Other symptoms include: 'fits' or convulsions, a rash that does not fade when you press it, feeling very tired, feeling abnormally cold to touch or feverish, a weak or high-pitched cry, nausea, vomiting.
Now the family remember Tracey as best they can – and talk about her all the time.
"We go out for brownies together because they were always her favourite," says Sinead.
"I go to William’s soccer practices, because Tracey never missed one, and Sophie has already started delving into my wardrobe – just like her mum!
"On what would have been Tracey’s 40th birthday, on March 2, 2023, we went to the beach and wrote her name in the sand.
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"The beach is where I remember my sister the most; her face lit up and the wind whipping her brown hair. It’s where I feel closest to her.
"I just want everyone to be alert to signs of sepsis, and if in doubt don’t be afraid to advocate for a loved one and ask, ‘Could this be sepsis?’"
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