Gus’s Story: A Second Grader Survives a Second Bout with Sepsis

Our son Gus has battled sepsis not once, but twice. Born prematurely in 2017 at 26 weeks, he developed sepsis the first time while in the NICU, but survived. We had no idea how lucky we were until we heard Gianna’s story. We thought about her anytime we talked about Gus’s early days of life and what a profound and lucky path we landed on in that he came home. We had no idea how terrified we should have been.

Then when Gus was a happy second grader, looking forward to celebrating his 8th birthday, he suddenly became ill. We took him to the pediatrician’s office, and then to Hasbro Children’s ER, and both times asked whether this could be sepsis. We believe, one million percent, that this saved his life because it immediately raised the possibility in his providers’ minds. They jumped into action and took the appropriate steps. After spending time in the Hasbro Children’s PICU, Gus came home to us. 

 Today Gus is physically doing great!  It took a couple of months to regain his energy, but it's definitely back. We all continue to work through anxiety and are lucky to have a skilled team to navigate unrelated, ongoing medical needs. We are so grateful that there were no lasting physical effects from septic shock.

 While it’s a crappy consolation prize, please know that Gianna’s legacy, and your commitment to telling her story, is absolutely saving lives. 

 ~  Jenny, Holly, and Gus W.