Melissa Mead: 'Sepsis killed my son'
I want people to remember the little boy who lived...
An inspirational mother whose baby boy died after contracting sepsis joined Lorraine to reveal how she's using the unimaginable tragedy to give hope to others.
In the last 48 hours, Melissa Mead's powerful tribute to her one-year-old son William has gone viral, attracting millions of views online.
In the video she posted on Facebook, Melissa delivers a heartbreaking final promise to her son to raise awareness of the deadly condition in his memory and spare many people the grief she has suffered since his death. William died just days after his first birthday in December 2014 after contracting sepsis caused by an abscess that had developed on his left lung.
Talking about the overwhelming reaction to the post from across the globe, Melissa told Lorraine: "I'm astonished, I'm blown away. We had kind of hoped it would be shared a couple of hundred times ... I'm astounded."
The Facts:
Every year 44,000 people will die from sepsis in the UK - this means a person dies from sepsis every FIVE minutes
A total of 150,000 people will be treated for sepsis each year in the UK alone
The total number of deaths in the UK caused by sepsis each year is more than bowel cancel, breast cancer and prostate cancer put together
Sepsis, also known as septicaemia or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs
Symptoms:
Many of these symptoms, such as fever and difficulty breathing, mimic other conditions, making sepsis hard to diagnose in its early stages
Slurred speech or confusion/extreme shivering or muscle pain/passing no urine (in 18 hours or a day)/ severe breathlessness/skin that's mottled, bluish or very pale
According to the Sepsis Trust, the toll of sepsis is rising year on year due in part to increased recognition, but also due to an ageing population and antimicrobial resistance
It is estimated that the number of cases of sepsis is rising annually by between 8 and 13%
Melissa, who is pregnant with her second child, is supporting The Think Sepsis and Ask Sepsis campaign which launches today as part of World Sepsis Day in a bid to raise awareness of the potentially deadly condition and help people recognise the warning signs and symptoms in both adults and children.
Melissa believes the campaign is the best way to create a positive legacy for William. "If we can save someone else's life, then William's a hero," she said.