19-year-old Bella Hollow from Surrey was nearing the end of her second term at Performers College, Birmingham, undertaking a BA Hons Course in Musical Theatre and Dance. Her days involve singing, dancing and doing what she loves best, as well as playing the guitar and drawing for pleasure. She is and was, in other words, a fit healthy young woman starting the next exciting phase of her life.
On the 18th April 2025, events took a dramatic turn for the worse for Bella as she started to become seriously unwell. She takes up her story here:
The pain started in the left side of my back on Tuesday 15th April. I’d been dancing a lot at uni, so I assumed I’d just pulled a muscle. But it didn’t settle. Instead, it got worse. Then came the fever, chills and vomiting. I called my mum and we both agreed it sounded like the flu. I wanted to be well in time for my boyfriend’s birthday on Friday, so I stayed in bed and slept as much as I could.
By Friday, I felt even worse. I’d planned to go into Birmingham with a friend to buy a present for my boyfriend, so I got dressed and headed into town. But I felt so ill I had to cut the trip short and go back to my room. That’s when I googled the symptoms. It didn’t look like flu anymore. I called 112. They said it sounded like sepsis and told me to get to hospital immediately. I ordered an Uber and went straight to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.
I was in shock. It all happened so fast. I’d thought an infection would take longer to become something serious. I didn’t really have time to take it in, I just felt awful and wanted pain relief and rest. By the time I could think clearly, I was already on the mend. That gave me hope I’d be okay and not face any lasting effects.
I had heard of sepsis before through posts on Instagram. I knew it could be serious, but I didn’t know the full list of symptoms. I also didn’t realise someone my age could get it.
I called my mum, and she spoke to the hospital doctor who was on duty at the time. He told her it was sepsis and asked her to come in. She was really worried. As soon as the call ended, she packed a bag and drove straight up to the hospital from Surrey. She knew how serious sepsis could be and that it can be life-threatening. The doctor didn’t say much over the phone, which made her even more anxious.
I was admitted on Friday 18th – the day that I went in – and was put on IV antibiotics, and then was switched to oral antibiotics two days later. I actually wanted to leave hospital because it was my boyfriend’s birthday, and I wanted to get him a present. Luckily that didn’t happen.
I was discharged in the middle of the following week without any further treatment, but I then relapsed about 3 weeks later and had to go back to hospital as the kidney infection had returned. I was given antibiotics again but fortunately had caught it in time before sepsis symptoms developed. I’m better now so I hope it’s resolved, but in the process, we discovered that one of my kidneys is smaller than the other which might have been the root cause of the problem. I am still awaiting further investigation and there is a chance that I will need surgery to remove the kidney.
It was a really scary time but the support and visits from family and friends kept me going
Having sepsis made me realise that any infection can potentially develop into sepsis, so it’s important to be aware of the symptoms. That’s actually quite frightening. This is why, when the infection returned and I started to get a fever again, I went straight to A&E. Seeing how badly it has affected other young people also made me understand how seriously it needs to be taken.
I hadn’t heard of Sepsis Research FEAT before but now, as the charity undertakes its first ever Sepsis Awareness Campaign aimed at students this September, I feel it’s really important to share my story so that other students realise that sepsis is something that can affect them. As my mum says, most people think that it is a condition that only affects elderly people or those with underlying health conditions. She and I both feel that there needs to be better awareness amongst school pupils and students.
If I had to put it simply, I would say to other students like me – if you feel unwell, even if you think it’s nothing, get it checked out anyway.
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Charity comment
Arguably, as a singer and dancer, Bella was more aware than most of her body and what was and wasn’t normal. Which may be the reason why she picked up on her symptoms so quickly and noticed the rapid deterioration in her condition that ultimately took her to hospital and helped to save her life.
Her story is testament to the fact that rapid treatment delivered at the right time can make all the difference to a patient’s prognosis. Sepsis Research FEAT is constantly looking to support new studies into rapid diagnostics to eliminate potential delays in accessing treatment and optimising outcomes. One such study – a combined venture from the universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow – combines engineering and biology to work towards rapid medical diagnostics.
The issue of awareness amongst younger people, and their sense of invulnerability to infection and sepsis, is something that this charity sees as an urgent priority. Sepsis Research FEAT is so grateful to Bella for sharing her story to help make this possible.