A hard-hitting campaign has been launched to raise awareness of sepsis in the farming community following the death of a talented stockwoman and young mum.
Hannah Brown, originally from Newton-le-Willows, between Bedale and Leyburn, North Yorkshire, died on March 23 last year. She farmed at Dufton, near Appleby, in Cumbria with her fiancé Ben Richardson and their baby daughter, Millie, and was well known on the stock-showing circuit.
Her death aged just 26 from sepsis left the farming community across the north in shock, and on Wednesday, Hannah's birthday, her family and friends joined forces with charity the UK Sepsis Trust to launch a campaign urging those working in agriculture to take note of the symptoms, and seek medical help if they think they have the condition.
Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection or injury. Normally the immune system fights infection, but sometimes it attacks the body’s own organs and tissues. If not treated immediately, sepsis can result in organ failure and death. With early diagnosis, it can be treated with antibiotics.
Speaking in a campaign video produced by the charity, Hannah's fiancé Ben said she thought she had a bit of a cold but her condition deteriorated rapidly after she went to hospital.
Hannah Brown with fiance Ben Richardson and their baby daughter Millie
Describing Hannah as an "amazing mum" to their daughter, he said: "She was the most caring, hardworking person you would ever meet.
"It was all just so quick and so sudden. Everything just turned upside down overnight. It didn't just turn mine and Millie's lives upside down, everybody's lives had to change to adapt to it."
Regarding sepsis, Ben said: "When Hannah was in hospital, I Googled it, and that's when I realised how serious it actually was.
"Be aware that it could happen to anybody and if you catch it soon enough, you can stop it happening."
Hannah's dad Martin described her as a "proper Yorkshire lass" who "said it as it was" and "loved her stock and her farming".
"Like all farming communities and farmers and farmers' daughters, you're very, very strong willed, you think you're invincible," he said. "You cut your finger, you just wrap it up and brave on, don't you?"
One of the UK Sepsis Trust campaign posters
Reiterating the campaign message to seek medical help, and ask "could it be sepsis," he said: "If you're not feeling well, please, please go and have a check."
Mum Val added: "You'd heard of it (sepsis), and you knew what it did, that it could kill you, but you just don't think it's going to happen to you."
One friend in the film described how Hannah was "really ill, and kind of ignored the signs".
Another friend, Di Harrison added: "It's so easy to get a little cut or something on yourself in farming, and obviously, if it can happen to a lovely, fit young lady like Hannah, it can happen to any of us."
Champion of champions Hannah Brown kisses her limousin in the main arena at Northumberland County Show. County show 2019. Photo: HX2219101. KATE BUCKINGHAM
Following her death, Hannah, who attended Crakehall Primary School and Bedale High School, was described as a “true legend on the show circuit”, and “one in a million”.
Hannah and Ben got engaged on her birthday, September 21, in 2019. They planned to marry at Dufton’s St Cuthbert’s Church on New Year’s Eve, 2020, but the wedding was postponed due to Covid, and rescheduled for last New Year’s Eve.
Thousands of pounds were raised for the UK Sepsis Trust in Hannah's memory. A spokesperson for the charity praised the "extraordinary, fantastic fundraising efforts" of her family and friends, and said: "Recent experience suggests that the farming community is more susceptible to sepsis due to the nature of their work, their resilience and can-do attitude, their often rural, isolated setting, and a reluctance to have time off and/or seek medical attention when not feeling well.
Hannah Brown with parents Val and Martin, who appear in the campaign video from the UK Sepsis Trust
"The fact is that farmers and labourers are at increased risk of becoming infected, so any cuts should be cleaned thoroughly, disinfected and covered before returning to work. Sepsis can also be caused by injuries caused from trauma or by illness. If you, or a loved one displays any of the symptoms displayed below, it’s important that you seek medical attention, urgently.
"Knowing what to look out for and remembering to ‘just ask: could it be sepsis?’ if you’re concerned about someone, really can save lives."
Posters can be downloaded and the video viewed by clicking here.
An adult may have sepsis if they show any of these signs:
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- Passing no urine (in a day)
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you're going to die
- Skin mottled or discoloured
A child may have sepsis if he or she:
- Is breathing very fast
- Has a 'fit' or convulsion
- Looks mottled, bluish or pale
- Has a rash that does not fade when you press it
- Is very lethargic or difficult to wake
- Feels abnormally cold to touch
What to do if you suspect sepsis:
- Call 111 or contact your GP if you're worried about an infection
- Call 999 or visit A&E if someone has one of these sepsis symptoms
- Just ask 'could it be sepsis?'
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