Reality TV star Jake Devline-Reed is known for his honesty and warmth on screen with I Kissed A Boy, but he hasn’t always found it easy to be so vulnerable.
Motivated by the loss of his dad and nan to sepsis, Jake is sharing his story in the hope of raising awareness and preventing others from having to endure what he has been through.
Born in Spain, Jake moved to Wales with his dad, Shane, as a teenager. His dad had long-standing liver and kidney issues due to alcohol misuse, leaving him vulnerable to infection.
His dad got a small cut from gardening, which turned black. “That’s where the sepsis started,” said Jake. “It got into his blood.”
What followed was rapid deterioration. “Within a week of going into hospital, he couldn’t move anymore,” Jake said. “Nurses were giving him water with a sponge.”
Tragically, Shane died of sepsis.
Jake went to live with his grandparents, and in many ways, they became his whole world. “We did everything together,” he said. “The gardening, cooking – they were like my parents.”
Heartbreak struck again when his nan, Pauline, became seriously ill.
“She started drinking a bit more, and stopped wanting to socialise. Then she got really weak – so weak I had to help her out of bed, help her get dressed, help her to the toilet,” said Jake.
He remembers the moment that he knew something was seriously wrong: “She was so brittle. I picked her up, and the skin on her arm just came off. Not like a graze – it just peeled. I guess the body was just falling apart.”
Jake took his nan to hospital, and although she was initially stabilised after being put on IV antibiotics, things quickly took a turn after Jake’s sister had left for the day.
“Doctors suddenly rushed around her. They moved her to intensive care, and then told me she was dying,” said Jake.
Jake had heard the word sepsis before his dad’s death, but didn’t really know what it was until his nan passed away and he was told it was an infection of the blood.
He also wasn’t offered any support in the aftermath of losing his family members.
“I think there should be regular welfare calls – initially every few months, then maybe once a year,” said Jake.
He turned to his hobbies to cope with his grief, even using them to memoralise his loved ones: “I planted 25 roses for my nan, an olive tree for my grandad, and a cherry blossom for my dad.”
After being approached to go on Kissed A Boy via Instagram, it was sharing his story on the programme that marked a turning point in Jake’s grief journey: “It was like unwanted therapy. I was drained. But then I woke up the next day and felt free – like I had superpowers. I could finally talk about it.”
Jake now uses his platform to raise awareness of sepsis, especially within the LGBTQ+ community, including among those living with HIV.
“If you’ve been diagnosed with HIV, your immunity’s just a little bit lower… it’s good to get checked for flu jabs and stuff like that,” said Jake. “Maybe have stuff in the GUM clinic about sepsis, which is the sexual health clinic.”
He also wants there to be more visible sepsis signage at Pride events, as well as in university settings such as gyms and bars.
Now, Jake is keen to work with UKST to help others understand that it’s hard to be vulnerable and ask for support, but it can be useful.
“It’s hard to be vulnerable, but it’s better in the long run. That’s why charities like this exist – to help people feel valued. Even when they’re going through hell,” said Jake.
