Megan Wagstaff lost her mum, Jane Davies, to sepsis in September 2017 – just two days after Jane first went to hospital.
Megan is now pursuing a master’s in genomic medicine, determined to research why some people develop sepsis and to help prevent other families from experiencing the same sudden loss.
Megan, from South Elmsall in West Yorkshire, was 19 and just about to start the second year of her biomedical sciences degree when her mum, Jane, became unwell.
While Jane had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), her five daughters – Bliss, Tash, Cherie, Kelly, and the youngest, Megan – were blindsided by how quickly their mum deteriorated.
Megan and her sister Bliss with her mum on her 19th birthday
“We brushed it off for two weeks as another chest infection,” Megan said. “The GP on Friday 8th September thought she might have broken another rib. She was only 49 and generally healthy, so we thought she’d be fine.”
At 3am on Monday 9th September, Megan was still awake when her mum came downstairs coughing up blood.
“She was shivering, pale, couldn’t breathe, hadn’t used the bathroom all day and her skin looked weird,” Megan said. “Panic ensued. We called an ambulance, found a defibrillator and took her to hospital.”
Doctors initially diagnosed bacterial pneumonia.
“The next day we visited and she was up and talking – she even seemed to be getting better,” Megan said. “When we left at 3pm. we were certain this was just a small blip.”
That evening, though, everything changed.
“Around 7pm we received the news she was being placed in a medical coma. Once at the hospital we were taken to a small room and informed it was sepsis. If it wasn’t for my aunt, an ICU nurse who demanded someone else see her, it would have been missed even longer. I had to ask the doctor what sepsis even meant,” said Megan.
Despite being in intensive care, Jane’s condition deteriorated rapidly.
Megan, Steve and Jane at Bliss’ graduation the month before Jane tragically died of sepsis
“She was placed on dialysis for organ failure and there were talks of transferring her for ECMO,” Megan said. “By 9am on 11th September it was game over. My beautiful and amazing mum was no longer with us.”
The speed of events left the family reeling.
“My dad Steve always said it was ‘now you see me, now you don’t’ – not quite as quick as being hit by a car, but it felt that sudden. People kept saying, ‘We didn’t even know she was ill,’ and we had to reply, ‘She wasn’t.’,” Megan explained.
The aftermath was devastating for Megan and her family.
“I developed PTSD, flashbacks and nightmares that made continuing my degree impossible,” Megan said. “The content of my biomedical science course triggered severe illness anxiety. I dropped out and went back three times over three years before finally leaving for good in 2020.”
Yet Megan found purpose in raising awareness.
“A friend later told me that through my fundraising for the UK Sepsis Trust, her partner recognised sepsis symptoms and it saved her life,” she said. “That meant the world to me.”
Inspired, Megan restarted her degree in 2022 and graduated this July.
“In late September I’ll begin a master’s in genomic medicine,” she said. “My hope is to do a PhD researching why some people get sepsis and not others, or why certain bacteria are more likely to cause it. I want us to be better equipped to save lives.”
Jane with Megan and Bliss when they were younger
Megan urges others to act quickly if something feels wrong. “Be vigilant and push doctors if you think something isn’t right. It can happen to anyone, and being young won’t save you.”
In spite of everything, Megan remains grateful to the healthcare team who fought for her mum. “The nurses did everything they could and were a godsend. I think medical professionals are more alert than ever, but continuing to talk to colleagues about the signs is so important.”
