SEPSIS MEDICAL CONFERENCE

Below is the introduction to my speech earlier today recounting my surviving Septic Shock and Multiple Organ System Failure in 1996.

Good morning. My name is Audrey Lasky. I am a French-born 53 year old former foreign language teacher from New York now living in downtown San Francisco. I am a survivor of Septic Shock and Multiple Organ System Failure. This morning I will be taking you on a journey back to 1996, but before I do, I would like to pay tribute to 2,977 precious human beings who lost their lives on the morning of Tuesday, September 11th 2001 in the city of New York, Washington DC and in a remote field in Western Pennsylvania.  I would like to recognize the 343 brave firefighters of the New York City Fire Department, the 23 brave officers of the New York City Police Department and the 37 brave officers of the Port Authority of NY & NJ. They gave their lives without hesitation as they tried desperately to save others on the most horrific day in our nation’s history. We will NEVER FORGET!

We will also never forget those precious human beings whom we have lost to Sepsis and Septic Shock, including survivors who desperately need continued help and support, perhaps indefinitely. The best way to honor the memory of those we have lost is to learn what we can from their ordeal as well as learning what we can from survivors, so we can help save as many lives as possible moving forward.

I am here today on a mission. September 11th 2001 marked the day that our nation learned: When you “see” something, “say” something. September 11th 2015 marks the day that we will now learn, when you “feel” something, call 911. None of you can even begin to do your job of trying to save and sustain human life if the individuals who could potentially have Sepsis, Severe Sepsis or Septic Shock are still lying in bed or on the sofa thinking as I did 19 years ago, “If I can just get enough rest I will feel better….”. I will elaborate on exactly what I mean by that in a little bit.


My mission includes the following 3 goals:

EDUCATE the public about Sepsis and Septic Shock in unique and powerful new ways in order to dramatically increase the chances of surviving and doing so intact. This former foreign language teacher plans on making it her business to see to it that the following phrase “XYZ is spreading like Septic Shock” becomes part of the vernacular so that the general public has at the very least a basic understanding of Sepsis and Septic Shock, because unless someone out there has figured out how to eradicate every infection of every kind, be it bacterial, fungal, viral or parasitic, Sepsis, Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock will continue to threaten the public at alarming rates. We must be diligent and vigilant by doing everything in our power to increase the chances of recognizing the clear and present danger so we can act upon it immediately and appropriately as healthcare practitioners and as potential or actual patients.

MOTIVATE the public by serving as the catalyst who encourages and models proper health & fitness routines based on over a generation of empirical evidence, which will then become integral parts of daily life.

INSPIRE people to prevent what they can and be combat-ready for what they cannot.  A decision I made at age 28 to take decisive action would make the difference between surviving and not six years later at age 34.  The program I adopted for myself, “CLIMB, LIFT & EAT WELL…” can benefit you, your patients and the public to help to preserve and enhance both the quality and quantity of all our lives moving forward.

My ordeal with Septic Shock, however, is a subject that I thought I would never discuss in public, that is, until my physicians and nurses of the UCSF Medical Center prompted me to think and do otherwise. Shortly after my husband Hal and I had moved from New York to San Francisco, the time had come to establish medical care in California which included, of course, all the routine screenings and check-ups upon turning 50.  As the physicians and nurses reviewed my chart, each one was stunned to see the line at the bottom of the chart: Septic Shock, Multiple Organ System Failure.

They each began to urge me to not only make my story public, but in the words of one physician, “ You need to tell people exactly what you are doing, I have never seen a patient present as you do at any age, let alone a Septic Shock survivor. The public needs to see and hear from you.” There was, however, a crucial piece of information that I was not told. In retrospect, I believe that the staff of UCSF thought I already knew.

Then one day, I decided to look up Septic Shock to see if there was any information available on the Internet. In an instant I was both stunned and horrified. I could not believe the statistics. I had been told in 1996 that my ordeal was a rare occurrence. It then became crystal clear why so many physicians and nurses had been urging me to make my particular circumstances public. It was not at all rare anymore and my story had details which could educate and inspire both medical personnel and the public as never before. At that moment I made the decision to dedicate my life to this cause, so that others not only survive, but survive intact and ultimately thrive. 


My story actually begins several years earlier. By December of 1989, although I was a happy stay at home mother of a two-year-old son, I had put on over 50 pounds in just two years.  The media and the culture in the United States at that time was not kind to stay- at-home moms. I alleviated my frustration at being so disrespected for the choice I made to stay home to raise my son that I overate and consumed a great deal of junk food and junk beverages, usually while my little boy took his daily naps.


Then one day a notice came in the mail that my ten-year high school reunion was coming up in mid 1990. During the course of one day I made a 180-degree turn by putting my own program into action. I would find out six years later in 1996 that the decision I made on that day to follow a healthy lifestyle was to make the difference between surviving a sudden-onset catastrophic occurrence and not.


But first, I will take you back to one of the worst winters the Northeast had seen in decades, the winter of 1996, the one which nearly saw the end of my then 34 year-old life…..

To be continued...

- Audrey Zeitouni Lasky MS Edu NASM CPT FNS