Charity run to mark 21st Birthday of Wigan student who died of sepsis
It'll be held at Haigh Hall and proceeds will go to The UK Sepsis Trust
Last updated 13th Jul 2021
A charity run is being held at Haigh Hall tonight in memory of Wigan schoolgirl Jemma-Louise Roberts who died of sepsis in 2014.
Jemma became poorly during a family holiday in Wales in February half term 2014.
At first, she had backache but then started to become more unwell.
The next day she was suffering from diarrhoea and also had a rash on her stomach.
Mum, Diane, contacted a local doctor who said it sounded like Norovirus and advised them to return home as they would likely all become infected.
After a few days, Jemma also had a headache and her back and shoulders were hurting but later that day became extremely lethargic and the rash got worse.
A local doctor was called out and after doing a number of tests said she thought Jemma needed to be taken to hospital.
"The first response arrived and the next thing I knew we were being rushed to A&E" Diane said.
"There were lots of doctors and nurses in the room, I remember counting 14 at one point, realising then just how serious it was."
"My husband arrived and we were taken into a private room and told they suspected toxic shock, I immediately said she was on her period and using tampons."
After a night in the hospital and a number of tests, Diane was told her daughter's condition was life-threatening.
Diane writes "We were told they had grown the staphylococcus bacteria from her bloods and were treating her with a broad range of antibiotics."
"It was very frightening. A doctor took us into a room and told us that Jemma's lactate levels were very high, causing her heart and lungs to work far too hard."
"He told us if they couldn't bring them down then the next conversation would be a very different one. We had that next conversation, he told us to bring in family to say goodbye. We did."
Jemma was then taken to Alder Hay hospital in Liverpool to be put on an ECMO which could take over the function of her heart and lungs.
"Over the next few days’ things stayed the same, she was critical but comfortable."
"She then slowly began to fight the infection and things started to look positive. We were told on Thursday they were going to bring her off the paralysis drugs as they needed to see her move before slowly bringing her off ECMO. "
"We went to bed that evening feeling really positive, I even joked with the nurses that if she suddenly sat up they had to ring me."
"On Friday morning Tony went over to PICU, he contacted me and said I needed to get there straight away, it wasn't good."
"Jemma had had a massive bleed to her brain around 7am that morning. They took her off ECMO and into surgery to try and drain it but we were told it was unsuccessful."
"They couldn't carry out tests for a further 24 hours until all of the medication was out of her system. The tests proved our daughter had gone."
Since she fell asleep her family and friends have raised over £40K for Alder Hey Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House and the families mission has been to raise as much awareness as possible about the signs and symptoms of toxic shock syndrome and Sepsis.
What is Toxic Shock Syndrome?
According to the NHS "Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins."
"It's often associated with tampon use in young women, but it can affect anyone of any age – including men and children."
"TSS gets worse very quickly and can be fatal if not treated promptly. But if it's diagnosed and treated early, most people make a full recovery."
The symptoms of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) start suddenly and get worse quickly. They include:
High temperature, flu-like symptoms, vomiting, diarrhoea, a widespread sunburn-like rash, lips, tongue and the whites of the eyes turning a bright red, dizziness or fainting, difficulty breathing and confusion.
Charity fun run
Now, this weekend there will be a charity run at Haigh Hall to mark Jemma's 21st birthday and to raise more money for The UK Sepsis Trust.
"Our house where we lived when Jemma was little backed onto the plantations," Diane said.
"She spent an awful lot of time on the playground there, she used to go for walks with her granddad through Haigh Hall and she's buried at St David's church."
"It's always meant an awful lot to her."
You're invited to run, walk, roll, hop skip or jump in bright colours or even fancy dress next Tuesday (13th July).
"The ticket price includes your entry to the race and part of it goes towards the cost of running the event i.e. insurance, first aid and of course Team Jemma Badges."
Any money left over will be donated to The UK Sepsis Trust.
"Please get as many sponsors as you can to help us raise as much money and awareness for The UK Sepsis Trust."
You can find tickets here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jemma-louise-rocks-for-sepsis-family-5k-registration-155511875205
More information
For more information on Sepsis and Toxic Shock Syndrome check out the following links:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxic-shock-syndrome/
In 2018 in collaboration with Wigan Council, rhe friends and Family of Jemma spoke about her death from sepsis and raise awareness of the symptoms in this public information film: