His sister Kami brought Rhys Leatherbarrow his favorite chicken and chips. But when they got there, the younger brother collapsed onto Kami’s body. “We were waiting for her to come out from behind the bedroom door. Rhys was always with me,” she confided to the Manchester Evening News.
The family did not know that Rhys had sepsis. The condition gradually caused his body to stop working.
Doctors explained that the male patient died of multi-organ failure due to pneumonia and two cardiac arrests. The young man living in Wigan (Greater Manchester, England) died in hospital on December 23, 2022.
Kami recalls the moment he found his brother in the bedroom: “Nothing unusual. He came home complaining of a headache and a runny nose. I gave Rhys two painkillers. The next day, I brought food. I passed by and found the bedroom door open. I walked in and Rhys fell on top of me.” Before that, the young man had appeared to be healthy, showing no signs of malaise.
Rhys was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Within the first two hours of his arrival, he had two cardiac arrests and was fitted with a ventilator.
However, a blood infection caused Rhys’ organs to stop working. Doctors can do nothing but relieve the pain of the patient. Six hours later, the young man died.
“We didn’t expect it. Rhys is a fun, lovely young man. He loves being around people and bringing laughter to everyone,” the sister shared. Rhys loves going to the movies, the theater play and a Disney fan.
The family said Rhys loved Christmas very much. Therefore, the time of his death made the family even more sad.
Sepsis occurs when the entire body has to react to the presence of germs in the blood. The disease is dangerous not only because of bacterial toxins, but also because the immune system releases chemicals into the bloodstream, triggering a systemic inflammatory response that fights infection but damages tissues and organs.
Severe cases of sepsis can lead to septic shock, multiple organ failure, and death.
Symptoms are quite faint or easily confused with other diseases. These are high fever, chills, shivering, sweating, low blood pressure, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, confusion…