“My dad was amazing – the best man and best friend I ever had. He had a great sense of humour, was loved by so many and was a massive Elvis fan. He loved his grandkids and his six children and kept our family going and inspired us all so much with his strength and love. He was our world and is sadly missed by us all.”  

Lisa Parker of Ross on Wye shares the tragic story of losing her beloved dad Karl, 61, to sepsis in the autumn of 2023. 

My name is Lisa Parker, and our devastating story of sepsis took place in September 2023, when we lost our beloved dad Karl – the glue of our family – to sepsis. He was dad to the six of us – me, Aaron, Kelvin, Wesley, Kelly and Brett and a partner to Deborah for 16 years. He was also a proud grandfather to 25 grandchildren. 

Three weeks before the tragedy struck, Dad had been in the hospital for two days with what seemed to be a relatively non-serious leg infection. The medical team treated him with antibiotics, and we all believed he was on the path to recovery. We had no idea that our world was about to be shattered. 

It was a normal day three weeks later and at home in Ross on Wye when Deborah discovered Dad very sleepy and unresponsive. She was alarmed and dialled 999. Once they had assessed him the ambulance staff described Dad’s symptoms as ‘borderline critical’. He was rushed to Hereford County Hospital with a very high temperature and a heart rate of 160bpm. Despite the leg infection apparently having cleared, blood tests revealed E. coli in Dad’s bloodstream. The source of this latest infection was a mystery and the doctors conducted tests on his chest and bowels. 

Dad was in resus all that first day at the hospital, receiving antibiotics and fluids to combat the infection and keep his blood pressure from dropping so low that he went into septic shock. His temperature started to improve but 24 hours later he began to struggle to breathe. A doctor from the Intensive Care Unit came down and made the decision to transfer him to ICU, placing him in an induced coma on a ventilator to relieve the load on his lungs and help him to breathe. Sadly none of us were with him at that critical moment. Four days later, they stopped the sedation, and I vividly remember the one time he opened his eyes when I visited. However, that was the last glimmer of consciousness we saw. In all he received three courses of strong antibiotics, meds to help bring his blood pressure up, anti-fungal and pain medication.  

My dad wasn’t conscious when he was diagnosed with sepsis. When we as a family found out we were very shocked and worried but we honestly thought that he’d get better, not realising how sick he really was and how fast sepsis had taken over my dad’s entire body.  

He fought for two weeks in ICU but the sepsis led to multiple organ failure. Dad continued to be ventilated until the morning he passed away, on 14th September 2023. We were absolutely heartbroken when we were told there was no more they could do for him. We couldn’t believe what we were being told and we had to try and remain strong for our beautiful dad. We were there till the end. My grief was overwhelming and in my search for answers I found myself constantly googling sepsis. It was then that Sepsis Research FEAT’s name appeared, and I realised the importance of sharing our story to help raise awareness of this silent killer. 

Dad’s loss has left an irreplaceable void in our family and we won’t ever get over it. He and I were particularly close. I try to focus on keeping going and looking after myself, being true to what Dad would have wanted. I wish I had known about the symptoms of sepsis and been able to spot them and save his life. 

Supporting Sepsis Research FEAT means everything to me after losing my amazing dad to sepsis. I want to help raise money for this amazing charity and help other families who have been through the same thing. We need more research on sepsis and ways to treat it as antibiotics did nothing to help my dad.  

Watching someone you love deteriorate is the hardest thing, and my only comfort now is in trying to turn our tragedy into something positive. I want to know that I would be making Dad proud by sharing his story, raising awareness and preventing others from experiencing the pain we’ve endured. 

Sepsis is the body’s extreme overreaction to any infection. The source infection is not always clear, however. There remains an urgent need for further research to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for sepsis patients worldwide. Amongst crucial studies into sepsis supported by Sepsis Research FEAT is the EVIS study at the University of Glasgow. Its aim is to identify the best approach to treatment options at the point of a patient’s admission to hospital with sepsis symptoms, in order to improve outcomes and save lives. To find out more about this and other studies visit Our research partners on the charity’s website here.