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Sepsis Survivor's Decade-Long Search for Nurse Ends in Heartfelt Reunion
15 Sep
Summary
- Mac Horsburgh, a sepsis survivor, was reunited with his intensive care nurse after ten years.
- He credits his nurse, Bernadette Warwaruk, with saving his life during his critical illness.
- The reunion occurred at an event proclaiming September 13th as Sepsis Awareness Day in Manitoba.
Mac Horsburgh experienced a profound reunion with Bernadette Warwaruk, the intensive care nurse who cared for him ten years ago when he was fighting for his life against sepsis. Horsburgh awoke from an induced coma a decade prior in a state of delirium, recalling Warwaruk's exceptional care during his most vulnerable moments.
He expressed his gratitude publicly at an event at the Manitoba Legislative Building on Monday, which proclaimed September 13th as Sepsis Awareness Day in the province. Horsburgh's sepsis was a result of a misdiagnosed cyst on his finger, which led to a life-threatening infection and aneurysm rupture.
Warwaruk, an ICU nurse, expressed her honor and humility at the reunion, noting that nurses often don't learn the outcomes of their patients. She was delighted to hear Horsburgh is doing well, even becoming a national pickleball champion. Minister Renée Cable also shared her personal experience with sepsis, emphasizing the changed perspective it brings and the importance of raising awareness.
The proclamation for Sepsis Awareness Day was initiated by fellow survivor Kim Dupasquier. Statistics from the Canadian Sepsis Foundation indicate that sepsis is linked to one in 18 deaths in Canada, making it the 12th leading cause of death nationally.
