Who Is Audrey Leishman and Why Her Story Matters

Audrey Leishman became known internationally not through her own career but through a medical crisis that nearly ended her life. In 2015, while pregnant with her third child, she contracted MRSA — methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacterium — which led to life-threatening sepsis. She spent weeks in intensive care, lost the pregnancy, and underwent multiple surgeries before eventually making a full recovery.

Her husband, Australian PGA Tour golfer Marc Leishman, withdrew from the 2015 Masters Tournament to remain at her side. The couple later shared their experience publicly, describing the terrifying speed of her deterioration and the critical importance of fast hospital intervention. Their goal was simple: if one person recognizes sepsis sooner because of Audrey's story, it was worth telling.

Audrey's survival was attributed in significant part to the speed at which she received sepsis-specific treatment once clinicians identified what was happening. That lesson — act immediately, say the word sepsis, do not wait — is what this guide is built around.

What Is Sepsis? Understanding the Basics

Sepsis is not itself an infection. It is the body's extreme, dysregulated immune response to an infection — a runaway reaction in which the body's attempt to fight a pathogen begins damaging its own organs, blood vessels, and tissues. It can be triggered by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections anywhere in the body: the lungs, urinary tract, skin, abdomen, or bloodstream.

As sepsis progresses, it moves through three increasingly dangerous stages:

• Sepsis: An infection plus systemic signs such as fever or low temperature, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, or altered mental state
• Severe sepsis: Sepsis plus evidence of organ dysfunction — confusion, reduced urine output, low blood oxygen levels
• Septic shock: Severe sepsis with dangerously low blood pressure that persists even after intravenous fluid resuscitation

Each stage carries substantially higher mortality than the last. The difference between surviving with minimal complications and dying can come down to a matter of two or three hours. That timeline is why recognizing sepsis is not only a clinical skill — it is something every person should understand.

How to Recognize Sepsis: The SEPSIS Mnemonic

One of the most effective public-facing recognition tools is the SEPSIS mnemonic, designed specifically to help non-medical people identify when someone may be deteriorating into sepsis. Go through each letter:

• S — Shivering, high fever, or feeling very cold — temperature dysregulation is often among the first visible signs
• E — Extreme pain or general discomfort — many sepsis patients describe it as the worst they have ever felt, often disproportionate to the apparent illness
• P — Pale, mottled, or blotchy skin — reduced peripheral circulation shows in the skin, particularly on the hands, feet, and face
• S — Sleepy, difficult to rouse, or confused — altered mental state is one of the most serious warning signs and should prompt immediate action
• I — 'I feel like I might die' — patients who express a sense of impending doom are often accurately sensing something serious; take this statement literally
• S — Short of breath — rapid or labored breathing indicates the body is struggling to maintain oxygen delivery

You do not need to observe all six signs to act. Two or three of these in a person who has a known or suspected infection — or who has been unwell and is not improving — is sufficient reason to call emergency services right away. Do not wait to see whether the situation resolves.

In older adults, sepsis frequently presents without significant fever. Sudden confusion or unusual behavior may be the dominant or only sign. In infants under 12 months, watch for extreme lethargy, pale or mottled skin, and rapid breathing even when fever is absent or mild.

Step-by-Step: What to Do When You Suspect Sepsis

1. Call emergency services immediately. In the United States, call 911. In the United Kingdom, call 999. When connected, say clearly: 'I think this person has sepsis.' These specific words matter — many hospital triage systems have accelerated sepsis pathways that are activated when that phrase is heard, both from dispatchers and at the ER entrance.
2. Do not drive yourself or the patient to hospital if you can avoid it. Paramedics can begin assessment en route and radio ahead, meaning the sepsis response team may be mobilizing before you arrive. Driving yourself delays that preparation by the length of your journey.
3. While waiting for the ambulance: Keep the person lying down with their legs slightly elevated if possible (unless they have a head or chest injury). Cover them with a blanket — sepsis patients often feel cold even when running a high fever. Do not give food or water. Stay with them and speak calmly.
4. Gather information to bring to hospital: Write down or photograph the current medications list, any known drug allergies, when symptoms started, what infection or illness preceded the current deterioration, and any relevant medical history — particularly diabetes, kidney conditions, cancer, or immunosuppressive medications.
5. At the hospital, advocate clearly and specifically. Tell the triage nurse: when symptoms started, what infection preceded this, and that you are specifically concerned about sepsis. You can ask directly: 'Has a sepsis screening protocol been started?' Family members who ask specific, informed questions have been shown to positively influence the pace of care in busy emergency departments.
6. Do not leave if you are reassured too early. If the person was initially stable but then shows new confusion, a drop in blood pressure, reduced urine output, or worsening breathing, alert a nurse immediately and describe the specific change you have observed.

What Happens in Hospital: The Sepsis Treatment Bundle

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign — an international critical care guidelines body — recommends completing what is called the 'hour-1 bundle' within the first hour of recognizing sepsis. Understanding what these steps are gives you the language to ask whether they are being done:

• Measure serum lactate — a blood test that shows whether tissues are receiving adequate oxygen; a result above 2 mmol/L indicates the body is under serious stress
• Draw blood cultures before starting antibiotics — this identifies the specific organism causing the infection so treatment can be refined later
• Administer broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics — these are given immediately without waiting for culture results because waiting costs critical hours
• Give 30 ml/kg crystalloid intravenous fluid if blood pressure is low or lactate is elevated — this restores circulating volume to support organ perfusion
• Start vasopressors — medications that raise blood pressure by constricting blood vessels — if blood pressure does not respond adequately to fluids

You do not need to memorize these as a clinical checklist. But knowing they exist gives you the grounding to ask a nurse or doctor: 'Has the sepsis bundle been started?' That question, asked calmly and directly, signals to the care team that the family is engaged — and in busy emergency departments, that signal can make a difference to the pace of care.

If the patient is admitted to the ICU, they may require mechanical ventilation to support breathing, dialysis if kidney function is impaired, or other organ-support measures. The care team will explain decisions as they are made; do not hesitate to ask for clarification on anything you do not understand.

Recovery From Sepsis: What to Realistically Expect

Audrey Leishman's return to health after MRSA sepsis required months of physical and emotional rehabilitation. This extended recovery is the norm, not the exception. Clinicians now recognize a condition called post-sepsis syndrome that affects a substantial proportion of survivors:

• Persistent fatigue — often severe and disproportionate to exertion, lasting months after hospital discharge
• Cognitive impairment — difficulty with memory, concentration, and word-finding, commonly described as 'brain fog'
• Muscle weakness and reduced stamina — many survivors require structured physiotherapy to rebuild strength and endurance
• Mental health effects — anxiety, depression, nightmares, and post-traumatic stress symptoms are documented in a significant proportion of survivors
• Increased vulnerability to new infections — the immune system remains dysregulated for months after sepsis, raising the risk of secondary infections

Practical recovery strategies:

• Set small, specific weekly goals rather than expecting rapid return to prior function — incremental progress is more sustainable and less demoralizing
• Request a referral to a physiotherapist for structured exercise progression, starting with short walks and building gradually
• Ask for an occupational therapy assessment if cognitive difficulties or daily-function challenges persist beyond the first month home
• Seek mental health support early and proactively — post-sepsis PTSD is a recognized condition and responds to standard treatments including cognitive behavioral therapy
• Attend all follow-up medical appointments, particularly in the first three months — secondary infections during this window are a genuine and serious risk

How to Lower Your Risk of Sepsis

While sepsis can affect anyone, reducing your infection risk is the most effective way to reduce your sepsis risk. These steps are recommended by infectious disease specialists:

• Stay current on vaccinations. Influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccines reduce both the likelihood and severity of respiratory infections, which are among the leading triggers of sepsis. Check your vaccine status annually.
• Handle wounds correctly. Wash cuts and abrasions thoroughly with soap and water immediately. Apply a topical antibiotic ointment such as bacitracin or mupirocin and keep the wound covered with a clean bandage until fully closed. Watch for expanding redness, warmth, swelling, or discharge — any of these requires medical attention.
• Complete antibiotic courses in full. Stopping antibiotics early because symptoms have improved allows surviving bacteria to develop resistance and re-emerge. Take the full prescribed course even if you feel well before it ends.
• Manage chronic conditions carefully. Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and conditions requiring immunosuppressive medications all significantly raise sepsis risk. Work with your doctor to keep these conditions well controlled and attend regular monitoring appointments.
• Practice consistent hand hygiene. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before eating, after using the restroom, after touching shared surfaces in healthcare settings, and after contact with animals or soil.
• Do not delay care when infections fail to improve. If a urinary tract infection, skin infection, or chest infection is not clearly responding to treatment within 48 hours, return to your doctor rather than waiting it out. Early escalation is far preferable to managing sepsis in the ICU.