The Impact of Sepsis: A Personal Journey and its Broader Implications

As a legal professional working in a nursing facility, I often encountered death certificates listing sepsis and pneumonia as primary causes of death. These were just routine entries on standard forms, until my own life was dramatically altered by sepsis five years ago in December 2014.

My Encounter with Sepsis

Initially, I thought I merely had the flu, but my wife's persistent concerns hinted at something more severe. She was correct about my condition not being flu and proved to be my rock during the ordeal. In November, it became clear that something more serious was at play, and I ended up in the emergency room on New Year's Eve.

A series of medical events subsequently unfolded: sepsis, pneumonia, a pulmonary embolism, and a proximate cause of an infected gallbladder. The diagnosis hit me as a physical wreck, unable to comprehend her anger for her vigilance. I was hospitalized for 11 days, primarily in intensive care, with the aftermath of recovery lasting for 60 days. The experience profoundly affected my daily life, leaving me with a lingering limp and occasional numbness in my left leg.

The Toll on My Wife and Family

The troubles didn't stop with my initial recovery. The cold January that year saw my wife diagnosed with a virulent cancer. The stress of my illness and her diagnosis left an indelible mark on both of us. Today, my wife is no longer with me, but her strength and determination remain a constant source of inspiration.

The Influence of Rare Blood Types

A few years after my birth, my mother suffered a miscarriage and later general circulatory septicemia. This experience was compounded by her rare blood type—AB negative, which made up only 0.6% of the U.S. population as per the Stanford School of Medicine Blood Center. Understanding blood types and their rare occurrences doesn't just affect medical treatments; it touches lives deeply, as evidenced by my childhood experiences.

Childhood Labor and the Real "Room and Board" of Harry Potter

While being a child laborer might sound amusing, it deeply affected my childhood. During my mother's two hospital stays and her return home, I was often at my father's radio and TV repair shop, working after school and through the summers. This relentless work wasn't just for my education; it also served as the means for "room and board." However, the financial aspect of what I missed out on is mind-boggling: my estimated back wages at 50 cents an hour amounted to $7,700 in 1950s dollars, and in today's terms, when adjusted for inflation, it's around $77,000. The cost of my early employment in terms of my missed childhood is a poignant reminder of the broader impacts of rare blood types and life-altering health events.