Local woman shares inspiring story of fight against sepsis

BALTIMORE -- September is National Sepsis Awareness Month, the condition that affects over a million Americans each year and can be deadly.  

In May of 2021, Jackie Duda nearly died of septic shock. 

"When I closed my eyes, I didn't think I'd see anybody again," Duda, a patient and sepsis advocate, said. 

After being rushed to the hospital in Hagerstown she was diagnosed with a perforated colon.  

"I started to go into respiratory failure, so they put a ventilator down my throat," Duda said. 

She was airlifted to shock trauma in Baltimore and immediately went into emergency surgery.  

"They took a third of my colon out because it was a mess, there was E. coli everywhere and that's what caused me to go into septic shock," she said. 

Duda, a wife, mother, and former teacher spent nearly a month in the hospital.  

"I fought for them. I really did," she said. "I wanted to live, to get better."  

That's when the long journey to recovery began, from re-learning simple things like brushing her teeth to walking on her own.  

"I felt really lucky and not sure why I got so lucky because a lot of people die from what I had," she said. 

Septic shock has a mortality rate of 30 to 40%. 

"Sepsis is sneaky fast and lethal if you don't get to it in time and I just want to help people survive," Duda explained. 

Now an advocate for the nearly 1.7 million Americans diagnosed with sepsis each year.  

Dr Cheyenne Falat with the University of Maryland Medical Center says the condition results from the body's overreaction to an infection.  

"So, if you develop a fever high heart rate, you are having trouble breathing, your hands are clammy, all of those are warning signs and it's important to recognize those," Falat explained. 

Sepsis can lead to organ failure, shock, and death if not treated quickly. 

"It's really important to manage chronic conditions well, make sure you minimize your risk for infections, and this is simple like washing your hands or avoiding sick contacts," Falat said. 

See a doctor if you develop any symptoms as treatments include antibiotics, IV fluids, and other medications.