Young farmer’s death prompts sepsis awareness campaign
Hannah Brown © CCM Auctions A hard-hitting campaign has been launched to raise awareness of sepsis among rural workers after a talented young stockwoman died from the deadly condition.
Last year, sepsis claimed the life of Hannah Brown, a Cumbrian farmer and highly respected stockwoman, who grew up in Newton-le-Willows, in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire.
Hannah moved to Dufton, near Appleby in Cumbria, in 2019 to live with her farming fiance, Ben Richardson, and their young daughter, Millie.
See also: Sheep auction raises over £2,000 in memory of young farmer
She suddenly became ill with sepsis – also known as blood poisoning – and was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, where she died on 23 March 2021.
Hannah was a keen stockwoman with a “positive competitive streak in cattle showing” and she was well known on the circuit.
Her death at the age of just 26 left the farming community in complete shock.
Now, in conjunction with Ark Media and thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of Hannah’s family and friends, the UK Sepsis Trust charity has put together a video and accompanying poster to raise awareness of sepsis within the farming community.
The five-minute video features interviews with Hannah’s partner Ben, her friends and young daughter, who highlight the risks of sepsis.
In the video, Ben describes her as an “amazing mum” and “the most caring, hard-working person you would ever meet”.
Lives ‘turned upside down’
He said: “She thought that she had a bit of a cold and a sniffle and would not have even got to the hospital. She did not think she was ill. But then, a family friend told us she was ill. She went into hospital; well, I took her.
“When Hannah was in hospital, I googled sepsis, and that is when I realised how serious it actually was. It was all just so quick and sudden.”
Ben said Hannah’s death turned everybody’s lives upside down, and he and their daughter and the rest of the family had had to adapt to it. “Be aware that it could happen to anyone, and if you catch it soon enough, you can stop it from happening,” he warned.
Hannah’s parents, Val and Martin, said she was “a very strong-willed and proper Yorkshire lass who said it as it was”.
“She loved her stock and farming – that is what she lived for. Like all farming communities, farmers, and farmers’ daughters, you are very strong-willed, and you think you are invincible.”
Hannah’s friend Di Harrison said: “It’s so easy to get a little cut or something like that in farming. Obviously, if it could happen to a fit, young lady like Hannah, it could happen to any of us.”
‘Be sepsis savvy’
According to the UK Sepsis Trust, rural workers are at greater risk of dying or facing life-changing injury through developing the disease.
The campaign warns that the disease does not discriminate between young, old, male or female, and it encourages people to be “sepsis savvy – spot the signs and save lives”.
It urged people living and working in the countryside to increase awareness of symptoms and act quickly if they suspect they may be developing the disease.
Recognising the signs and symptoms of sepsis
The farming community is more susceptible to sepsis due to the nature of the work, often in rural, isolated settings, and because of the reluctance of some farmers to seek medical attention if they are unwell, according to the UK Sepsis Trust.
It stresses that any cuts that happen while working should be cleaned thoroughly, disinfected and covered before returning to work.
Infections caused by the nature of the work with livestock and soil, combined with isolation or distance from medicines, antiseptics and cleaning agents, are key reasons why rural workers face increased risks.
Sepsis can also be caused by injuries caused from trauma, or by illness.
The symptoms to watch out for are:
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering and/or muscle pain
- Passing no urine (in a day)
- Severe breathlessness
- Ill feeling
- Skin mottled, discoloured or bluish
Other symptoms can include:
- Rashes that don’t disappear when pressed
- Lethargy
- Vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea
- Fits, convulsions
- Red, painful swelling around a cut or injury
Immediate medical treatment must be sought if these symptoms occur, otherwise potentially life-changing conditions or death may result, a spokesperson for the UK Sepsis Trust said.
More on sepsis
The UK Sepsis Trust has information and downloadable awareness posters on the Sepsis Trust website.