Edinburgh mum shares anguish of toddler's brush with death after sepsis in hope of sparing others

An Edinburgh mum who feared she might lose her toddler to sepsis wants to spare others the anguish her family endured.

Corey King was only 18 months old when he was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition at Edinburgh Sick Children’s Hospital in December last year.

Just four days after Christmas, the youngster was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) – his health rapidly deteriorating – and put into an induced coma.

Corey was eventually discharged 27 days later, after three platelet transfusions and battling a high temperature for more than two weeks.

Aimee King and son Corey

Delighted to see him fully recovered, his mum Aimee King knows the outcome could have been very different had she not followed her gut instinct and taken him straight to A&E.

She has now agreed to share her story on an upcoming podcast being launched to mark Sepsis Awareness Month in September.

The campaign “Words of Sepsis” will also feature Kimberley Bradley from Portobello, whose husband Nathan’s quick thinking saved her life when she was struck by the condition in April 2019.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals rapidly out of control, injuring its own tissues and organs. The result can be multiple organ failure and death.

Kimberley Bradley and husband Nathan are share their as part of Sepsis Awareness Month

The charity Sepsis Research FEAT has enlisted the help of survivors and their families to alert more people to the dangers of the condition, which accounts for around five deaths every hour in the UK.

Aimee recalls having a “terrible feeling” when Corey began to look grey after developing a high temperature she was unable to get under control.

She took her son straight to A&E, where, after a series of tests, doctors confirmed his diagnosis and started him on a course of antibiotics.

“He seemed to get sick extremely fast from then. He was shivering uncontrollably, both his hands and feet took on a mottled look, and he wasn’t passing urine either,” said Aimee.

“His lymph nodes ballooned whilst he was in the PICU, and he looked triple his normal size. It’s something you read about and don’t expect it to happen to your loved one. Then the fear of the unknown took over: all of us were terrified Corey wouldn’t pull through.”

Aimee hadn’t heard of Sepsis Research FEAT until she shared what had happened to Corey on her social media channel and was put in touch with the charity.

“I want other families to be aware of the symptoms and also how quickly sepsis can take over,” she said. “If we had sat at home a day longer then our story probably wouldn’t be a positive one unfortunately. Familiarise yourself with the signs and symptoms. Think could it be sepsis?”

It’s a message echoed by Kimberley, who had surgery to amputate her toes and dialysis for her kidneys following her sepsis diagnosis.

Still receiving treatment three years on, she said: “Trust your own instincts and if you are feeling ill, be sure that you let someone know. If my husband hadn’t checked on me through the night, I wouldn’t have survived until the morning.”

Key symptoms include confusion, high/low temperature, uncontrollable shivering, blotchy arms and legs and not passing as much urine as usual.

Words of Sepsis podcast episodes will be available on Apple , Google and Spotify. Visit www.sepsisresearch.org.uk/sepsis-awareness-month-2

Kimberley and Aimee are also taking part in the charity’s Give Us 5 fundraising challenge. To support them go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kimberley-Bradley1 and https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Aimee-King4