This World Sepsis Day we are highlighting the importance of recognising symptoms and acting early.

One patient who knows all too well about this is sepsis survivor Graham Teagues.

The 77-year-old from Brownhills has been at Walsall Manor Hospital for over six months.

He has had sepsis multiple times from factors relating to his long-term condition.

Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multi-organ failure, and death – especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.

The grandfather-of-three said: “When I had sepsis the main symptoms I felt was uncontrollable shaking, feeling cold even with a raised temperature, rapid breathing and a drop in blood pressure.

“It was a very scary and stressful experience, but staff managed to get to it in time and treat me with antibiotics.

“The care from the Sepsis Outreach Response Team (SORT) has been excellent, I can’t fault them one bit.”

The former Domestic Appliances Service Engineer added: “If there’s one piece of advice I could share with everyone it would be ‘don’t delay’. If something feels wrong and is not resolving itself, make sure you check for sepsis. The quicker you treat it, the better your chances of surviving.”

Xana Marriott, Senior Sister for Critical Care Rehabilitation at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust said: “Graham has unfortunately had to deal with a few sepsis diagnosis’s but he has absolutely been a fighter. He has been at the hospital for a while now but he never fails to show his strength every day. He is such a lovely patient and we are very proud of him and his recovery.”