On March 29, 2012 we brought our sick 12 year old son, Rory to our pediatrician, Dr. Susan Levitzky. We learned many troubling things that night, one being that many doctors do not know the signs or do not “think” sepsis. Rory was a red light for sepsis that night but Dr. Susan Levitzky did not “think” sepsis or possibly did not know the signs of sepsis, she decided he had a gastric flu.  Some professionals will tell you that sepsis is a rare occurrence in young people and not to be concerned.  This is not true, as more professionals will tell you-sepsis is a leading killer in America and it is the largest killer of young people in the world. When your child dies from sepsis, as Rory Staunton did, sepsis advocacy becomes your new reality.

Parents are not typically alarmists. Every parent I know would prefer nurse their child at home rather than race to an Emergency Room on a whim. Parents need the facts.  Information on sepsis needs to be more available. Here are some common signs: High temperature, high pulse rate, chills, low blood pressure, mottling of skin, confusion and lightheaded.

If your child has some of these signs ask: Could this be sepsis?