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Libby was looking forward to retirement and ready to devote more time to her passion for art. However, during a holiday in Western Australia, she contracted meningococcal disease, which tragically led to sepsis and resulted in her becoming a quadruple amputee.

“I remember having a dry throat and feeling unwell,” said Libby. “I woke in the middle of the night, shaking uncontrollably, and told my husband Gordon that it felt like more than just a sore throat and that I should go to the local hospital.”

Libby doesn’t remember the next two weeks, as her condition rapidly deteriorated due to developing sepsis. She was given intravenous antibiotics, placed in an induced coma and rushed to a major hospital in Perth.

The reduced blood flow to her extremities damaged the tissue in her hands and feet, and they turned black with gangrene.

If you want to support exceptional patient care and research into conditions like sepsis, please make a tax-deductible donation to the NORTH Foundation.

As an Intensive Care Unit nurse researcher at Royal North Shore Hospital, I’ve witnessed the devastating toll of sepsis far too many times. Stories like Libby’s are heartbreaking, and they demonstrate the urgent need for prompt detection and faster intervention.

My name is Naomi, and my team and I are working to revolutionise sepsis detection, treatment and outcomes by integrating a holistic system approach. This includes automated alerts, embedding clinical trial processes within the electronic health records, and evaluating new models of care after leaving hospital. This cutting-edge approach aims to enable faster, life-saving responses, deliver optimal treatments to patients earlier, and ensure improved coordinated care after hospital stays – giving patients a greater chance for better outcomes.

Libby’s story is a stark reminder that sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can be difficult to detect and can escalate with alarming speed. When the body’s response to infection spirals out of control, it begins attacking its own tissues and organs, leading to shock, multiple organ failure, and even death.

Our healthcare and research teams are always ready to support you, even in the most unexpected moments. Show your appreciation by donating to the NORTH Foundation EOFY Appeal.

Sepsis doesn’t discriminate – it can strike anyone, at any time, from any type of infection, whether bacterial, viral, or fungal.

To save Libby’s life, surgeons had to remove the infected tissue, resulting in the amputation of her leg below the left knee and her right foot. Two weeks later, surgeons removed her right hand and fingers on her left hand.

“I was told it was going to be an arduous journey, and it was,” Libby reflects.

After five months in hospital, Libby began six months of intensive rehabilitation as an inpatient at Mona Vale Hospital, utilising the gym equipment and hydrotherapy pool under the guidance and encouragement of the physiotherapists.

Within a year, Libby endured 12 major operations, including the removal of bone spurs from her hand at Royal North Shore Hospital.

Despite a set-back that required an additional two months of rehabilitation at Mona Vale Hospital due to a broken hip following a fall, Libby continues to attend the hospital as an out-patient twice a year.

Before her devastating diagnosis, Libby enjoyed gardening, swimming and her art.

“It was hard to see yourself as someone who used to do a lot of things, but now can’t,” Libby admits.

She had to learn to use her partially amputated left hand to do everyday tasks, but despite losing her dominant hand, Libby refused to stop painting. In fact, painting helped her cope with the mental anguish of her recovery.

Libby brought her easel and paints into hospital and began painting portraits of other patients. A kind volunteer helped squeeze the tubes and wash the paint brushes for her.

Currently, Libby is writing stories for children and is illustrating them using a combination of AI and a painting programme on her iPad.

“I know that art is my purpose in life. I’ll always be an artist,” says Libby.

The impacts of sepsis affect each patient differently and unfortunately leaving hospital does not mean leaving sepsis behind. Half of the survivors endure long-term challenges and experience ongoing physical, psychological or cognitive deficits and it can exacerbate pre-existing chronic conditions, leading to hospital readmission.

As patients’ immune systems remain compromised, up to 70% of sepsis survivors are readmitted to hospital within one year of discharge and face a reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death in the months and years that follow.

Up to 40% of children who get sepsis endure severe consequences, including physical issues like amputations as well as cognitive impairment that can affect their development and education.

Witnessing the devastating impact of sepsis and the ongoing long-term effects inspired me to embark on a sepsis research program locally and with international collaborations.

Our research has provided crucial insights into defining, understanding, and treating sepsis and its long-term impacts.

Vital projects like this need your support. Your generous donation will make a difference in helping to shape the future of healthcare for everyone.

Together with my team, our mission is to halt sepsis in its tracks.

With your help, we can achieve our goal to improve the efficiency of early sepsis detection. Our aim is to find treatments that will improve the chance for survival and provide a comprehensive post-sepsis care pathway to reduce hospital readmission, support recovery and rehabilitation and enhance the quality of life for sepsis survivors.

Wishing you and your loved ones the very best in health.

A/Prof Naomi Hammond, PhD RN BN MN (Crit. Care) MPH
Executive Director, Research, Northern Sydney Local Health District