VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — According to the World Health Organization, 1.7 million people in the United States develop sepsis each year.
Christina Hornyak, a 32-year-old from Suffolk, is one of those people whose life was put at risk by this dangerous condition.
Hornyak, who works as a patient safety coordinator at Sentara Health, describes herself as someone who is "a little bit invincible." That changed when her health took a turn for the worse.
She was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and began taking a five-day oral antibiotic. After it was extended to ten days, she said she started feeling sick.
"I started noticing extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, [and] weakness. I had chills, I wasn't really thinking straight, I was very confused," Hornyak said.
Despite working in healthcare for 10 years, and knowing the signs of sepsis, Hornyak initially dismissed the possibility.
She confided in a colleague who is also an infection control practitioner. They advised Hornyak go to the emergency department.
"I said, there's no way I have sepsis. [As] someone that has worked in healthcare for 10 years, I know sepsis, and I know the signs and symptoms for it. I kept putting it off while my symptoms just kept escalating,” she Hornyak said.
During a routine appointment with her physician, her condition deteriorated quickly.
"I kind of just fell out, and all I [saw] was black. I couldn't catch my breath. I was very short of breath. They tried to get a blood pressure on me. They could not get a blood pressure on me. My blood pressure was very low, and my heart rate was very high," Hornyak said.
She was rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed she had sepsis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's immune system overreacts to an infection.
"Any infection can cause sepsis. It could be a urinary tract infection, like in Christina's case, it could be pneumonia. It could be caused by bacteria, which is the most common," said Dr. Kimberly Span of Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital.
Dr. Span said sepsis is "a lot more common than people realize," particularly affecting people with chronic conditions, those over 65, or children younger than one.
To help people recognize sepsis, Dr. Span uses the acronym "TIME":
- T stands for temperature that could be high or low
- I stands for infection, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, or wound infections
- M is for mental decline, such as confusion or altered mental status
- E stands for extremely ill
Hornyak spent a week in the hospital, but her recovery took much longer.
"I was extremely tired for two whole months. [I was] very weak, very frail, just getting up and letting my dog in-and-out, I felt so exhausted from the smallest tasks, so I had to start doing just a little bit at a time and building that strength back up. Battling sepsis took absolutely everything out of me,” she said.
Over the past year, Hornyak has made significant strides in her recovery. Sentara Health has also seen improvements, achieving a 44% reduction in mortality for patients with sepsis over the past four years.
Hornyak is passionate about sharing her story to raise awareness, particularly among people in her age group.
"I wanted to share my story so that others, maybe in my age group, or a little bit younger, a little bit older, are aware that it can happen to us," she said. “You can be the healthiest individual who has never seen a physician before, and you can still get sepsis. So, [be] aware of what your normal heart rate is, know what your normal blood pressure is, and be very familiar with your body so that when something happens and it becomes abnormal that you know when to seek care.”
Dr. Span noted that respiratory infections like COVID or the flu can also cause sepsis, emphasizing the importance of taking care of yourself during Sepsis Awareness Month and the fall season.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
