Stories About

Acute Illness

How Almost Dying From Sepsis Changed My Relationship With Shaving

After a cut shaving my legs turned septic, I learned to accept my body hair, and stop caring what other people think.

Thank You. Goodbye. I Love You.

What living through the same condition that killed my friend taught me about making every second of my life count.

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What Happens When A Whole Country Goes Anti-Vax

In Samoa, nurse Andrea Chapman fights to get vaccines to a population decimated by measles.

How Do We Stop The Superbugs?

After saving her husband's life from an antibiotic-resistant infection, Steffanie Strathdee is trying to bring phage therapy to the rest of the world.

When A Parent’s Medical Intuition Is Right

Doctors can be quick to dismiss the gut instincts of a caregiver, but there's a lot more to parent's intuition than meets the eye, as these stories show.

Sepsis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, And Me

Jennifer Hohman thought she was bitten by a flea. It was a tick. Next thing she knew, she was fighting for her life.

The Rusty Nail That Almost Killed Me

Three years ago, Michael Porter went into a coma and almost died. Now with one less arm, he wants to educate the public about the dangers of sepsis.

A Brain Infection Destroyed My Marriage, But Made Me A Writer

For two years, I lost much of my ability to communicate. I clawed it back, but not before realizing my husband and I didn't have much to say to each other.

Bruce Willis, A Brain Hemorrhage, and Me

After a stroke put me in the hospital, I turned to the films of Bruce Willis to teach me how to Live Free and Die Hard.

How Visions of Vietnam Helped Me Survive Paralysis

Changing my attitude and dreaming of another land helped me win a fight I almost lost against Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

How My Own Experience With Illness Helped Me Help My Grandma Die

My own battle with Guillain-Barré, a rare autoimmune disorder, gave me the experience and authority to be there for my grandmother at the end of her life.