Healing in High Gear, a book written by Memphian Amy Howell about a family’s dealing with Sepsis has been released this month – national Sepsis awareness month.
The work is an account of how Howell’s family shifted into the ultimate high gear to survive septic shock twice and the key role played by the medical team. A portion of the proceeds of book sales will go toward sepsis awareness and patient advocacy – a strong theme in the book.
Howell tells the story of how her husband, who was admitted to the hospital for “routine” surgery, became septic and was near death twice from septic shock. The book outlines how fast action and a caring medical team saved the life of Jim Howell.
“Sepsis, or septic shock, if not caught early, is usually fatal,” says Mark Miller, MD, the surgeon who helped save Howell. Sepsis ranks as the third leading cause of death behind cancer and heart attacks. Howell illustrates how important early detection is and gives insight as to warning signs.
Gary Shorb, CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, wrote in the foreword of the book,
“Sepsis is a serious life-threatening complication, and for healthcare leaders, it is important to focus on aggressively working to improve patient safety, reduce clinical treatment variability, enhance communication, increase transparency, and improve systems of care.”