Caitlin's Sepsis Case: Emily Stringer's Story

Medics had all the information they needed to start Caitlin on antibiotics, but they did not take action for another 17 hours, until after she collapsed with septic shock. This delay highlights the urgent need for sepsis awareness and better medical protocols to prevent such tragic outcomes.

During that distressing time, I watched Caitlin catastrophically deteriorate. She was unresponsive; clearly a baby dying of sepsis, yet the staff seemed to be joking about the lack of equipment. Her bowel had necrotised and ruptured, and she was so unwell that she could not maintain her blood pressure high enough to ensure her brain received adequate oxygen.

This photo captures the pain in her eyes. She would open her eyes when she heard my voice, and in that moment, I knew she was asking for my permission to die. I gave her that permission; I told her how much I wanted her to survive, but also that I would always love her, even if living became too hard and she needed to let go. This heart-wrenching experience has fueled my commitment to the Right 2 Recover campaign and to advocating for parental support for disability, ensuring no other family faces such anguish.

I don’t know how, but Caitlin survived. She has a catastrophic brain injury that complicates her airway management. We are painfully aware that one of her airway crises could be fatal, and sadly, this is expected to happen in childhood. This reality reminds me of the Emily Stringer story, which highlights the struggles many families face in similar situations. 

Every day, I am overwhelmed trying to navigate how to survive while allowing my unconditional love for Caitlin, my fear for the future, and my anger at our circumstances to coexist. As I find parental support for disability insufficient, I realize I cannot fulfill my professional responsibilities. While Caitlin’s disability benefits help make ends meet, I also know I must prepare for the possibility of those benefits stopping the day she dies. 

As the law currently stands, there is no safety net for parents in situations like ours, which compounds the stress. This is especially important to consider in light of broader conversations around issues like sepsis awareness and initiatives like the Right 2 Recover. We need better systems in place to support families like ours.