Dad Whose Daughter Died From Sepsis Is Raising Awareness In Her Memory

A dad whose daughter died from blood poisoning when she was just three years old is encouraging other parents to ask the question: “Could it be sepsis?”

Peter Howarth, 45, from Manchester, said his daughter Pippa began feeling under the weather at the beginning of April 2014.

A few days later, she was taken to hospital and diagnosed with pneumonia. At no point did the dad suspect that, within a matter of hours, she would die from sepsis.

“What people don’t know about sepsis is the speed and how quickly it changes a life,” Howarth, who is a dad-of-three, told HuffPost UK.

“Pippa went in at 7pm and she died by 4am. That’s how quickly it takes a life.”

PeterHowarth

Pippa with her older brother Aubrey, five at the time, and her baby brother Elliott, who was born on 31 March 2014. She died on 10 April 2014.

Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is a reaction to an infection in which the body attacks its own organs and tissues, according to the Sepsis Trust.

It develops when the chemicals released into the bloodstream by the immune system to fight the infection cause inflammation throughout the body instead.

Howarth’s daughter fell ill shortly after his second son was born on 31 March 2014. He described Pippa as a “robust” three-year-old, who rarely seemed to get ill. At the beginning of April, she went down with what the family thought was a cold.

She had a high temperature and was a bit “lethargic”.

“It was genuinely no more sinister than that,” said Howarth.

Howarth and Pippa’s mother gave her Calpol every few hours. She was unwell for a few days - with no vomiting or diarrhoea, but then one evening, Howarth’s now ex-wife was concerned her breathing wasn’t quite right.

The couple called the NHS helpline who sent round an ambulance. They gave Pippa an oxygen mask to help her breathe and decided to take her in for tests.

At the hospital, they found out she had fluid on her lungs and she was diagnosed with pneumonia. There was no mention of sepsis.

Pippa was put on antibiotics and Howarth stayed with her at the hospital overnight, while her mother went home to look after their newborn.

“I was there at 10pm and she was wired up to drips, but still demanding pink drinks and a story,” Howarth said. “She was bossing me around, she was perky.

“It got to 3am and I thought she wasn’t right. She was talking, but it was nonsense and stopped making sense. I got the nurse to come in.

“They checked on her and there was no mention of sepsis, then off they went.

“I sat with her half an hour after this point in the room, just holding her hand. I was holding her hand when she stopped breathing. That was it.

“I was hustled out, the crash teams came in. She died before my wife got there. After about 20 minutes I was allowed back in the room, and that’s when my life changed.”

Pippa was being treated for pneumonia, but she died from sepsis.

PeterHowarth

Peter Howarth.

“Sepsis - I didn’t hear that word until she had died,” Howarth said. “We didn’t get a chance to fight, she was gone before we could try. We didn’t have a chance, she didn’t have a chance. It was a flick of a switch and she was gone.”

Howarth wants people to understand the speed at which sepsis acts, adding: “It happened so quick, people just don’t think about it.

“It ruins your life. Everybody blames themselves when a child dies but with this disease, you don’t have a chance unless you spot it early.

“You can’t always spot the symptoms. I don’t know if we ever could have stopped it, unless we said: ‘Could it be sepsis?’”

Howarth’s message to parents is exactly that: To ask medical experts if they are worried about their child: “Could it be sepsis?”

Despite being a life-threatening illness, if caught early (before it has affected any vital organs) it is possible to treat sepsis with antibiotics. Most people who have it detected at an early stage are able to make a full recovery, according to the NHS.

“It may not have changed the outcome with us,” Howarth said. “We might have been unlucky, but maybe - if someone had asked - just maybe, we’d still have her.

“If by doing any type of awareness raising I can help one person ask the question and save one life, that’s one family that doesn’t have to go through the hell we’ve had to go through.

“Sepsis kills quickly. It’s the speed it kills that people need to know about.”

Howarth’s way of coping with his grief was to take on “stupid activities”. He ran the London marathon in 2015 for Child Bereavement UK and raised nearly £9,000.

So what does Howarth want for the future of sepsis research?

“I’d love to say let’s do with sepsis what we did with ebola and try to fight it,” he said. “Depending on what you believe, it does affect every community.

“Surely someone somewhere has got to accept that there needs to be research done to tackle what treatment there could be, or even a pin prick test? This could help people work it out early.”

Sending a final message to parents, Howarth said: “It’s life-changing to have to cope with a loss of a child. It affects everything.

“Tell your child you love them every day and cuddle your children while you still can.”

Spotting sepsis in children under five:
Source: NHS Choices.
Go straight to A&E or call 999 if your child has any of these symptoms:
looks mottled, bluish or pale
is very lethargic or difficult to wake
feels abnormally cold to touch
is breathing very fast
has a rash that does not fade when you press it
has a fit or convulsion.
If your child has any of the symptoms listed below, seek medical advice urgently from NHS 111.
Temperature:
over 38C in babies under three months
over 39C in babies aged three to six months
any high temperature in a child who cannot be encouraged to show interest in anything
below 36C – check three times in a 10-minute period.
Breathing:
finding it much harder to breathe than normal – looks like hard work
making “grunting” noises with every breath
can’t say more than a few words at once (for older children who normally talk)
breathing that obviously “pauses”.
Toilet/Nappies:
not had a wee or wet nappy for 12 hours.
Eating And Drinking:
new baby under one month old with no interest in feeding
not drinking for more than eight hours (when awake)
bile-stained (green), bloody or black vomit/sick.
Activity And Body:
soft spot on a baby’s head is bulging
eyes look “sunken”
child cannot be encouraged to show interest in anything
baby is floppy
weak, “whining” or continuous crying in a younger child
older child who’s confused
not responding or very irritable
stiff neck, especially when trying to look up and down.

For more information on sepsis, visit www.sepsistrust.org.

Before You Go

Foods That Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

Kiwis(01 of07)

Research presented at a meeting last year of the American Heart Association shows that eating three kiwis a day is linked with decreased blood pressure.That study included 188 men and women age 55 and older, with slightly high blood pressure. They were instructed to eat three kiwis a day, or an apple a day for eight weeks.The researchers found that the people who ate the kiwis had lower systolic blood pressure levels than those who ate the apples. Kiwis are known to be rich in lutein, which means they have antioxidant properties. Flickr photo by whologwhy. (credit:Getty )

Peas, Bananas And Other Potassium-Rich Foods (02 of07)

A 2005 study in the journal Hypertension found that it's possible to get the blood pressure-lowering effects from potassium-containing foods, instead of just from a potassium supplement.Researchers from St. George's Medical School in London found that people who consumed potassium citrate -- which is found naturally in food -- has the same effects in decreasing blood pressure in people with hypertension as those who took potassium chloride, which is only available as a supplement, Harvard Medical School reported.Flickr photo by robin_24. (credit:Getty )

Watermelon(03 of07)

Watermelon is not just refreshing, it contains a bounty of nutrients including fiber, lycopenes, vitamin A and potassium, according to the Mother Nature Network. And, a study from Florida State University researchers shows that an amino acid found -- called L-citrulline/L-arginine -- in watermelon could also have blood pressure-lowering effects. The researchers had nine people with prehypertension take 6 grams of the L-citrulline/L-arginine amino acid a day over a six-week period. They found that the study participants had lower blood pressure, as well as better functioning of their arteries. Flickr photo by Gudlyf. (credit:Getty )

(Purple) Potatoes(04 of07)

Spuds may get a bad rap in the foodsphere, but a small study presented last year at a meeting of the American Chemical Society showed that the purple-hued root vegetables have blood pressure-lowering powers that are nearly as effective as oatmeal, without packing on pounds. The study included 18 people with high blood pressure. They ate six to eight purple potatoes (including the skins!) twice a day, for a month-long period. The researchers found that the study participants' systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped at the end of the research period. (Though, it should be noted that this was just an observational study, and the potato-eaters' blood pressure was not compared to people who did not eat purple potatoes during the study.) Flickr photo by Taransa. (credit:Flickr: Taransa)

Tofu(05 of07)

Eating a lot of tofu and other soy foods -- like soy nuts, miso, edamame, tempeh and soy milk -- is linked with decreased blood pressure, WebMD reported.The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, included 5,000 people whose diets were tracked over 20 years. The researchers found that the ones who consumed the most isoflavones -- found in soy, as well as peanuts and green tea -- had lower systolic blood pressure than those who consumed the fewest isoflavones, according to WebMD. Flickr photo by FotoosVanRobin. (credit:Flickr: FotoosVanRobin)

Chocolate(06 of07)

Chocolate is linked with a lower BMI -- and it could be beneficial for people with hypertension.A 2010 review of studies in the journal BMC Medicine showed that flavanols, which are found in chocolate, seemed to promote the dilation of blood vessels, which in turn can lower blood pressure. "Flavanols have been shown to increase the formation of endothelial nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation and consequently may lower blood pressure," study researcher Dr. Karin Ried, of the University of Adelaide in Austria, said in a statement. "There have, however, been conflicting results as to the real-life effects of eating chocolate. We've found that consumption can significantly, albeit modestly, reduce blood pressure for people with high blood pressure but not for people with normal blood pressure."Flickr photo by Siona Karen. (credit:Flickr: Siona Karen)

Chili Peppers(07 of07)

If you love a little heat with your food, it could be doing your blood pressure a favor, too. A 2010 study in the journal Cell Metabolism showed that capsaicin -- the spicy ingredient in chili peppers -- could help to lower blood pressure in rats with hypertension. However, the researchers from the Third Military Medical University in China noted that the results need to be replicated in humans. Flickr photo by Trostle. (credit:Flickr: Trostle)