"Think Katie"

    Katie McQuestion, a 26-year-old radiology technician from Kenosha, Wisconsin, is someone that was affected by her having sepsis not being recognized fast enough. After contracting the flu, she developed sepsis. She complained of feeling sick on December 29 and was sent home sick from work the following day. She continued to feel worse as time passed, and on January 2, she passed away due to sepsis because no one could figure out what was wrong with her when she went to the hospital.Her condition rapidly deteriorated.

    Sepsis is hard to recognize since the signs and symptoms that a patient can present with are the same as many other diseases. It is not always the first diagnosis that a physician thinks about when a patient comes to get treatment. Physicians did not think of it whenever it came to figuring out what was wrong with her.

    Her story serves as a reminder of the potentially life-threatening complications of the flu, and the importance of seeking medical attention if symptoms worsen or persist and her mother speaks out in regard to this. It also shows the need for increased awareness and education about sepsis so that providers are better able to recognize it.

    Her family hopes that by sharing her story, they can raise awareness and prevent other families from experiencing the same loss that they had to go through. As her mother stated, "If this can help just one family avoid this, then it's not in vain." It is important for hospitals to provide more education to their employees about sepsis.