Sepsis Awareness Month
When Marianne Haverkamp developed sepsis, her life changed forever. She faced the unimaginable — septic shock with multi-organ failure — and survived an ordeal that could have easily claimed her life. Recovery was not only physical but deeply emotional, and it left her determined to help others who would walk the same difficult path.
Today, Marianne is more than a survivor, she is a voice for patients and families worldwide. She founded Sepsisinfo.es, Spain’s first dedicated platform for sepsis awareness and survivor support. She also serves as co-chair of the European Sepsis Alliance’s Patients & Family Support Working Group and the Global Sepsis Survivors & Families Committee under the Global Sepsis Alliance. Earlier this year, she was awarded the Sepsis Code Award 2025 in Madrid, recognizing her tireless advocacy.
We spoke with Marianne about her journey, her recovery, and how she turned survival into purpose.
When Marianne woke up one summer night in 2021 with vomiting and diarrhea, she thought it was nothing more than a stomach bug. Just hours earlier, she had been running, working, and enjoying dinner with her family. By morning, however, she was too weak to stand.
Her mother-in-law, in town to help with childcare during the summer season, found her collapsed on the floor. Concerned, she called for medical help. At first, doctors suspected COVID-19 and placed her in isolation without running any tests. Hours passed before an ambulance finally arrived to check her vitals but by then, her blood pressure had plummeted, her heart was racing, and her fever had soared to 40°C. Still, she received no treatment and remained at home, rapidly deteriorating.
By late afternoon, her condition worsened to the point where she felt herself slipping away. “There was one moment that I thought, this is it now. I can’t fight anymore,” Marianne recalls. Her mother-in-law pleaded with emergency services until, finally, around 5 p.m., an ambulance took her to the hospital.
There, doctors discovered she was in septic shock with multi-organ failure. She was moved to the ICU, placed on fluids, antibiotics, and adrenaline. Thanks to her strength and determination, her body responded. After three days in intensive care, she stabilized.
The Long Road Back
Leaving the ICU was only the beginning. Marianne was transferred to a ward unfamiliar with sepsis care and discharged soon after. At home, she realized recovery would be far more complicated than expected.
Simple tasks, like walking from the bed to the bathroom, felt impossible. Weeks passed, then months, and new symptoms emerged: her hair and skin began to shed, words came out jumbled when she tried to speak, and writing became incoherent. Even everyday actions — shopping without a list, following a conversation — became overwhelming.
Eventually, doctors confirmed she had suffered minor brain damage from the infection. “What was very frustrating was the cognitive part,” she explains. ” I had no control over my brain. Before sepsis, I managed everything in my life without thinking twice, and suddenly I couldn’t do the things I used to.”
Recovery came slowly. Marianne trained herself back, little by little. Progress was steady, but traces of the illness remain: occasional confusion, memory slips, and lingering anxiety whenever illness strikes.
For Marianne, survival left a lasting mark not only on herself but also on her family. Her loved ones, who saw how suddenly she became critically ill, carry the weight of that day.“Every time I have a fever now, my family panics,” Marianne admits. “They still don’t know what caused it, so the fear is always there.”
Turning Pain Into Purpose
What frustrated Marianne most was the silence that followed her discharge. She received no explanation of what had happened, no guidance on recovery, and no support networks. Determined to change that, she began searching for information about sepsis.
She soon connected with the European Sepsis Alliance and the Global Sepsis Alliance, joining their patient and family work groups. Through this involvement she found both recognition and connection. “For me as a patient, it was very important to hear that what I was experiencing wasn’t strange — that others were living through the same cognitive and emotional struggles,” she explained.
Realizing the lack of accessible resources in Spain, she launched Sepsisinfo.es, a platform to provide patients and families with trustworthy information and tools for recovery.
“Many patients in Spain don’t even hear the word ‘sepsis’ from their doctors,” she says. “Deaths are recorded as pneumonia or organ failure. The condition remains invisible.”
Earlier this year, her efforts were recognized when she received the Sepsis Code Award from the Fundación Código Sepsis at La Princesa University Hospital in Madrid — a milestone that validated years of pushing for change.
For Marianne, receiving the award from Dr. Marcio Borges’ foundation, was an especially emotional moment. After three years of tirelessly pushing for awareness in Spain — often with the feeling that no one was really listening — the recognition was proof that her persistence was not in vain. “I never gave up,” she explained. “When the email came saying I was nominated, I thought, wow, maybe what I’m doing really is making a difference.”
Raising a Voice for the “Invisible” Patients
Today, Marianne continues her advocacy across Spain and Europe. She describes her advocacy as something that started out of frustration but grew into a mission. From pressing for a national sepsis plan in Spain to helping shape the global conversation, she says she’s proud of what’s been achieved and remains determined to keep pushing for change.
Marianne represents sepsis survivors who, like her, look healthy on the outside but struggle with lingering cognitive, emotional, and physical effects.
“I always say I’m one of the lucky ones,” she reflects. “I have my fingers, my legs, I can walk again. But the hidden damage — the brain fog, the memory problems — those are real too. And too many people are left alone at home thinking they’re going crazy.”
Her story underscores a critical truth: sepsis can strike anyone, anytime, and recovery doesn’t end with hospital discharge. Marianne’s journey from near-death to global advocacy is a reminder of both the dangers of sepsis and the resilience of those who survive it.
A Final Message for Sepsis Awareness Month
As Sepsis Awareness Month comes to a close, Marianne wants both families and survivors to hold on to two key messages. First, for loved ones: “Trust your instincts. If something feels different, if an illness doesn’t look or behave like the usual flu or infection, speak up and push for answers. That intuition can save lives.”
And for survivors, she stresses that recovery is often confusing and lonely, but their experiences are real: “You’re not crazy. If you feel exhausted, if you can’t handle noise or crowds, if your memory and concentration aren’t the same, that’s post-sepsis syndrome. It’s not just in ICU patients, it can happen to anyone who’s had sepsis. Don’t let it be dismissed. Seek help and keep fighting for your recovery.”
Marianne Haverkamp’s journey from sepsis survivor to outspoken advocate shows the power of persistence and lived experience. What began as frustration at not being heard has grown into a mission that now reaches from Spanish hospitals to the European Parliament and beyond. Her story is a reminder that recovery doesn’t end at survival — and that the voices of patients and families are essential in shaping how we understand, treat, and respond to sepsis.