Virginia Beach mom nearly died from sepsis, now fights for awareness

Following the death of NASCAR star Kyle Busch from sepsis, a Virginia Beach mother who nearly lost her life to the deadly disease is sharing her heartbreaking experience to raise awareness.

Audrey Wiggins was a healthy 31-year-old when she thought she would catch the flu in 2015. Instead, his condition developed into a severe case of sepsis and he remained in the intensive care unit for 10 days, including five days in a medically induced coma.

Wiggins, now in recovery and married to professional golfer Marc Leishman, is dedicated to raising awareness about the condition through her nonprofit organization, the Begin Again Foundation. He has also written a children’s book aimed at helping families recognize warning signs.

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Wiggins’ ordeal began when she felt ill one evening while her husband was away on a trip while she was caring for her sons, 19 months and 3 years old.

“I had actually never had the flu before, but I was achy, I had a fever, and I was cold. So I thought it was like the flu,” he told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.

As the days went by, Wiggins began to feel worse. He developed a fever and had serious stomach problems.

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“At one point, I actually thought I was going a little crazy because my right elbow and left big toe started hurting; it was a very random thing. I hadn’t injured myself,” he said. “I’m really confused about what’s going on.”

When Wiggins became too weak to care for her sons and her nose began to bleed, her friend insisted that she see a doctor.

In urgent care, Wiggins’ temperature and heart rate were abnormally high and his blood pressure was dangerously low. He was taken to the emergency room by ambulance.

“I was a very, very sick person.”

While today’s hospitals have “come a long way” in sepsis awareness and recognition, Wiggins noted that wasn’t the case in 2015.

“It took a very long time to figure out what was going wrong with me,” she said, adding that doctors at first thought she was suffering from an autoimmune disease.

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“They kept testing me for different things. They finally admitted me and I was in intensive care for a total of 10 days, five of which were in a medically induced coma.”

Sepsis eventually developed into acute respiratory distress syndrome.

“I vividly remember not being able to breathe,” Wiggins recalled. “This was by far the scariest part. It got to the point where I had to pause between each word to take a breath and it was like sipping air.”

Now recovered, Wiggins is dedicated to raising awareness about the condition through his nonprofit organization. (Audrey Leishman)

He later learned that there was a good chance he wouldn’t wake up from his coma at some point.

“When I finally woke up, the process of relearning how to walk, dealing with physical therapy at home, and being on the PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) was quite challenging,” Wiggins shared.

He said the first year of recovery was “very difficult.” “My immune system was so weakened that I was sick all the time.”

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Wiggins says he is healthy today, but his memory is “not what it used to be” and he gets tired more often.

He said the actual cause of the sepsis remains unclear but may be linked to recent IUD removal.

“I was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome, but I also had tonsillitis, strep throat, urinary tract infection and pneumonia,” she said. “I was a very, very sick person.”

What to know about sepsis

In severe cases, the infection can spread into the bloodstream and trigger sepsis, a common, life-threatening inflammatory response.

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. According to Marc Siegel, if not treated immediately, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

“The body responds by producing inflammatory chemicals. It’s a resurgence of the immune system… but it can do more harm than help,” he previously told Fox News Digital.

“When I finally woke up, the process of relearning how to walk, dealing with physical therapy at home, and being on the PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) was quite challenging,” Wiggins shared. (Audrey Leishman)

Wiggins explained the answer with an analogy: “Instead of sending out the Navy SEALs, your body is sending out the entire U.S. Armed Forces.”

As sepsis worsens, it can cause a drop in blood pressure and prevent oxygen from being transported to the body’s tissues, potentially leading to lactic acidosis, a dangerous buildup of lactic acid in the bloodstream.

“Instead of sending out Navy SEALs, your body is sending out the entire U.S. Armed Forces.”

Siegel warned that organ failure is a serious risk, especially affecting the kidneys.

“Kidneys fail, toxins build up in the kidneys, blood pressure drops, fever goes up, lungs fail – something called ARDS,” he said.

“In a time when people are struggling, if I can help ease that burden — even just a tiny bit, so they can focus more on healing — it is my absolute passion and honor to continue doing that.” (Audrey Leishman)

ARDS – acute respiratory distress Syndrome – occurs when inflammation causes fluid to leak into the lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to reach the bloodstream.

Common warning signs of sepsis include high fever, confusion, rapid breathing, extreme weakness, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate and bluish or mottled skin, according to the CDC. Wiggins added that patients may also feel very cold and experience extreme pain.

Turning survival into a mission

After Wiggins was discharged from the hospital, she realized how little people knew about sepsis, which led her to start the Start Again Foundation.

“I had never heard of sepsis, and so I realized I almost died from it,” she shared. “If I had known what the symptoms were and what to look for, I would have sought treatment sooner.”

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Expensive medical costs for everything from home health care to antibiotics to walkers and other equipment were also shocking. “I learned that sepsis is the most expensive hospitalization bill,” Wiggins said. “‘What if we didn’t have the money to afford it?’ “I remember thinking.”

For every hour sepsis goes untreated, the death rate increases by up to 8 percent, Wiggins said. (iStock)

“In a time when people are struggling, if I can help ease that burden — even in just a small way, so they can focus more on recovery — it’s my absolute passion and honor to continue to do that. And that’s the main focus of the organization.”

Wiggins’ children’s book “Katie Koala’s Biggest Bite” focuses on a young girl who becomes injured and sick; Later, his mother takes him to the doctor to catch sepsis before it becomes life-threatening.

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“My goal with this book is for it to be in the big hands of both little ones and their parents… and by reading this story, they will learn what sepsis is and what symptoms to look out for,” he said.

“I read a lot of stories of parents seeking treatment, taking their kids to the doctor, and being told it was just a virus.”

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Wiggins said the simplest thing parents can do is ask the doctor: “Could this be sepsis?”

“Just asking that question may lead them to run a different lab panel or look at symptoms in a different way,” he added.

“I read a lot of stories of parents taking their kids to the doctor and being told it was just a virus.”

For every hour sepsis goes untreated, the death rate increases by up to 8 percent, Wiggins said.

“Time really is of the essence, and getting treatment early may even prevent you from being hospitalized.”

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According to Wiggins, one of the most important things people need to know is that sepsis can be caused by any infection.

“The most common causes are respiratory infections, urinary tract infection and kidney stones, but it can also be caused by a cut. It can also be caused by a sore throat or the flu,” he warned.