Healthy mom nearly died after dismissing sepsis symptoms as the flu

June 5, 2026 - 16:36

In 2015, Audrey Wiggins was a fit and active 31-year-old mother who thought she had simply caught the flu. She dismissed her early symptoms as a common seasonal illness, but her condition took a terrifying turn. What started as a mild fever and body aches quickly spiraled into a life-threatening case of sepsis.

Wiggins ended up in the intensive care unit for 10 days. For five of those days, doctors placed her in a medically induced coma to give her body a chance to fight the infection. Sepsis is a severe response to infection that can lead to organ failure and death if not caught early. In her case, the infection had already started shutting down her organs by the time she sought emergency care.

Her story serves as a stark reminder that sepsis can mimic the flu in its early stages. Symptoms like fever, chills, rapid breathing, and confusion are easy to overlook. Medical experts stress that any sudden worsening of flu-like symptoms, especially if accompanied by a high heart rate or difficulty breathing, should be treated as a medical emergency. Wiggins survived, but she now advocates for greater awareness, urging people to trust their instincts and seek help if something feels wrong.