Geraint Mullins was 16 when he popped a pimple on his neck. Within days, a golf ball-sized abscess appeared on his neck, and he began to feel lethargic and disoriented.
His doctor sent him to the hospital: surgery drained the abscess, but a week later the infection was still active and he needed another procedure. Mullins turned 17 in the hospital.
The Cleveland Clinic describes sepsis as a dangerous reaction of the immune system to an infection. According to the WHO, in 2020 it was responsible for one in five deaths worldwide.
At 24, Mullins shared his experience and listed warning signs: difficulty speaking or breathing, extreme shivering, and mottled skin. He still has a scar on his neck. “I almost wasn’t here”, he said.