“The surgery itself was successful, but there was a complication during surgery,”: Sepsis survivor shares story to raise awareness

One Machesney Park resident and septic shock survivor shared her story in hopes people will pay attention. 

“The surgery itself was successful, but there was a complication during surgery,” shared 45-year-old survivor, Rachel Parry.

In September of last year, Parry had a routine abdominal surgery that went as planned, but the following night, Parry coughed up blood.

“There were two times that my family was called in to say their goodbyes,” explained Parry.

Still in the hospital, doctors did an exploratory surgery and discovered she had an infection that turned septic. Sepsis is a body-wide infection that can lead to organ failure. 

“They put me into an induced coma, and I was in coma for almost a month. It shuts down all of your organs; it shuts down your entire body. I hope that nobody has to go through sepsis.

Dr. Benjamin Wilkins of Javon Bea Hospital said sepsis can happen from a cut or anywhere there’s an infection in the body. He said there are warning signs. 

“What might start out as a slight cough or sore on your arm, if it gets severe enough, can all of a sudden turn into this very severe reaction where their blood pressure goes really low. They start to get lightheaded; they might pass out. It can get very serious very quickly,” explained Wilkinson.

After one month in rehab and learning how to eat and walk again, Parry’s perspective on life has changed for the better.

“You go through something like that, and you come out of it the other side, and you really realize that family, friends, loved ones are the most important thing,” said Parry.

Parry said she hopes to start a local support group for those impacted by sepsis in any way.