July 2011 Sepsis Alliance Newsletter
Spike Out Sepsis Rocks Columbus!
Volleyball players took over Columbus, OH, on June 18, 2011 as they participated in the third annual Spike Out Sepsis Sand Volleyball Tournament. Every year, interest in the tournament grows in size, with both players and spectators participating.
Despite the less-than-perfect weather, 16 teams of 6 players each participated in the tournament; the winning team was JoJo and the Leather Doughnuts! But the players weren’t the only ones having fun as spectators defied the weather to enjoy themeselves as well.
Spike Out Sepsis was founded by Dr. James O’Brien, along with Alicia Rendon and Jennifer MacDermott. This year, with help from the players, spectators, and sponsored, SOS raised over $10,000 for Sepsis Alliance!
Rachael Ray Talks Sepsis
Check your local listings if you don’t know when the Rachael Ray show airs in your area because on July 26th, Rachael talks to Sepsis Alliance’s own Carl Flatley, Jim O’Brien, and Jen Ludwin. Rachael’s interview highlights the dangers of sepsis and Jen’s story. While you might not be able to take the day off work (or can you?), maybe you can program your TIVO if you have one, or ask someone who does. However you have to do it, the show is a definite Must See. Please help spread the word about Rachael Ray and SA.
Faces of Sepsis Is Growing
What began as a section of the Sepsis Alliance site, with a few stories of people who had been touched by sepsis, has now grown into six pages of stories, totalling 37 so far. And the submissions are showing no signs of stopping.
Although the stories all have the same running theme, they’re also so very different. Our most recent contributors include a baby who survived sepsis, but with the amputation of a leg at age two months, a mother who died after she was diagnosed with gout, and a young mom who developed sepsis after delivering her second child.
The Faces of Sepsis stories have two main purposes: to help survivors or those left behind by giving them an outlet in which they may share their story and to help others learn about this often fatal or life-changing illness.
If you have a story you would like to share, you may use the “Submit your story” button in the Faces of Sepsis section or email the story (and photos) directly to marijke@sepsisalliance.org.
September is Sepsis Awareness Month!
SEP for Sepsis and SEP for September – making September the perfect month for Sepsis Awareness Month. Sepsis Alliance will be encouraging people to promote awareness of sepsis within their community, using the resources available on our website if they wish. Our video is always available to anyone who would like to share it and if you would like a copy of the DVD to share with a community group, please contact Natalie Weeks at nweeks@sepsisalliance.org for more information.
Facebook
Sepsis Alliance’s Facebook page is proving to be very popular. We are up to over 600 people “liking” us so far. Have you stopped by?
What will you find on our Facebook page? A community of survivors and loved ones who are either offering support or seeking it. Visitors are welcome to post links to sepsis information and events raising sepsis awareness, ask questions, and to just talk about how they are doing.
Want to help SA just with a couple of clicks? Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you feel may be interested. The more people we can reach, the closer we’ll get to our goal of making people more aware of sepsis. Help save a life. Say the word. Say Sepsis!
Do You Have Something to Share With SA?
If you have an idea that may help us raise awareness, we’d love to hear from you. So if you have something to share with us, please feel free to contact Marijke at marijke@sepsisalliance.com.