Michelle Seger - Sepsis Survivor
October 17, 2019 | Women's Lacrosse
By: Jaime Beairsto (COM'20)
Michelle Seger woke up on a chilly fall morning in November of 2018 feeling under the weather, but of course that wasn't going to stop her from going to conditioning that day. She began practice just like any other, however once it was over, her body started feeling very strange. She had the chills, her joints were in pain, and she felt like she could not stand up on her own anymore.
"I actually convinced myself that I had the flu," Seger laughed as she recalled the unimaginable sequence of events from that day. "I was just so confused the entire day, I had no idea why I felt so sick."
Three weeks prior, the 19-year-old had been diagnosed with mononucleosis, but seemed to be having a speedy recovery, and she was looking forward to rejoining her teammates at practices as soon as she regained her health. Seger was feeling better and stronger each day, until suddenly she wasn't.
"That day I just could not move. Everything in my body was hurting, I was super achy, I could tell I was just not okay."
Seger, who knows herself to be able to push through nearly anything, could not comprehend why she could not shake these symptoms. The discomfort finally got so bad that she decided to take action.
"I had my roommate check my temperature and it was at 103°, so I decided to go to the hospital," Seger recounted. "When I got there my temperature was at 106°, my blood pressure was 70/30, and my heart rate was at 156 beats per minute. That's when I was in shock."
This news was overwhelming not only for Michelle, family, and friends, but also the doctors who could not instantly pinpoint where all these issues were originating from. What they could tell immediately was that Seger had no white blood cells left in her body and her platelets were extremely low; the infection was taking over her body.
The next morning provided more clarity for Michelle and loved ones, where after a series of CT scans, MRI's, and ultrasounds, the doctors determined she had a case of sepsis. The infection was discovered stemming from strep that she contracted while she had the mononucleosis virus that went left untreated. And while it was a relief to at the very least understand what the cause of this was, the diagnosis came with even more questions.
"I was so confused. I didn't know why this was happening to me. I had absolutely no idea what sepsis was; I had never heard of it in my entire life. I remember looking over at our athletic trainer at the time and asked, 'Does this mean I'm going to die?'"
The sepsis caused Seger's body to have a chemical imbalance which prevented her from fighting off infection in an effective way. Thankfully, she went to the hospital instead of ignoring her symptoms, allowing her to get the medical treatment she needed to fight off this potentially life-threatening condition. After three days in the ICU and four more days on bed rest in the hospital, Michelle was regaining her strength and taking back control of her body.
"Honestly, it changed my life and put a lot of things into perspective. My family definitely got closer from it and I had so many friends backing me up and supporting me during that time. It was great to see the support that I got from other people, but it was also really scary, It was just really hard to deal with."
Michelle went home for winter break that year and surrounded herself with loved ones after such a life-changing experience, but came back to school with the goal of getting her life back to normal as quickly as possible, and that meant returning to the lacrosse field. She began participating in practices for 15 minutes every day, adding an additional 15 minutes each week, as long as she felt healthy and comfortable.
"My coaches, teammates, and athletic trainers were constantly asking how I felt after every 15 minutes. Everyone was just kind of worried and everyone just wanted me to be okay."
This proved to be only a small speed bump for Seger, as she was participating in full practices before she knew it and playing full games by the end of the season. Her perseverance not only as an athlete, but as a person was evident here more than ever before. If you couldn't tell before, you know now that nothing is going to stop Michelle Seger.
Now, nearly a year since these events occurred, Michelle is working to raise awareness for sepsis and sees her experience as an opportunity to help others.
"I know now that I could have saved precious minutes in my treatment by saying the words 'I'm concerned I may have sepsis' or those who brought me to the hospital could have said it for me. Now, I want to make as many people aware of the symptoms of sepsis."
Michelle, along with the BU women's lacrosse team, participated in the Sepsis Superhero Challenge in September, a walk in support of all those affected by sepsis.
"It just makes BU lacrosse really feel like a family. You can really tell that they have my back through everything. They helped me fundraise and they have been doing so much for me. They are just really supportive."
You can help donate to Michelle Seger's Sepsis Awareness page here.
Michelle Seger woke up on a chilly fall morning in November of 2018 feeling under the weather, but of course that wasn't going to stop her from going to conditioning that day. She began practice just like any other, however once it was over, her body started feeling very strange. She had the chills, her joints were in pain, and she felt like she could not stand up on her own anymore.
"I actually convinced myself that I had the flu," Seger laughed as she recalled the unimaginable sequence of events from that day. "I was just so confused the entire day, I had no idea why I felt so sick."
Three weeks prior, the 19-year-old had been diagnosed with mononucleosis, but seemed to be having a speedy recovery, and she was looking forward to rejoining her teammates at practices as soon as she regained her health. Seger was feeling better and stronger each day, until suddenly she wasn't.
"That day I just could not move. Everything in my body was hurting, I was super achy, I could tell I was just not okay."
Seger, who knows herself to be able to push through nearly anything, could not comprehend why she could not shake these symptoms. The discomfort finally got so bad that she decided to take action.
"I had my roommate check my temperature and it was at 103°, so I decided to go to the hospital," Seger recounted. "When I got there my temperature was at 106°, my blood pressure was 70/30, and my heart rate was at 156 beats per minute. That's when I was in shock."
This news was overwhelming not only for Michelle, family, and friends, but also the doctors who could not instantly pinpoint where all these issues were originating from. What they could tell immediately was that Seger had no white blood cells left in her body and her platelets were extremely low; the infection was taking over her body.
The next morning provided more clarity for Michelle and loved ones, where after a series of CT scans, MRI's, and ultrasounds, the doctors determined she had a case of sepsis. The infection was discovered stemming from strep that she contracted while she had the mononucleosis virus that went left untreated. And while it was a relief to at the very least understand what the cause of this was, the diagnosis came with even more questions.
"I was so confused. I didn't know why this was happening to me. I had absolutely no idea what sepsis was; I had never heard of it in my entire life. I remember looking over at our athletic trainer at the time and asked, 'Does this mean I'm going to die?'"
The sepsis caused Seger's body to have a chemical imbalance which prevented her from fighting off infection in an effective way. Thankfully, she went to the hospital instead of ignoring her symptoms, allowing her to get the medical treatment she needed to fight off this potentially life-threatening condition. After three days in the ICU and four more days on bed rest in the hospital, Michelle was regaining her strength and taking back control of her body.
"Honestly, it changed my life and put a lot of things into perspective. My family definitely got closer from it and I had so many friends backing me up and supporting me during that time. It was great to see the support that I got from other people, but it was also really scary, It was just really hard to deal with."
Michelle went home for winter break that year and surrounded herself with loved ones after such a life-changing experience, but came back to school with the goal of getting her life back to normal as quickly as possible, and that meant returning to the lacrosse field. She began participating in practices for 15 minutes every day, adding an additional 15 minutes each week, as long as she felt healthy and comfortable.
"My coaches, teammates, and athletic trainers were constantly asking how I felt after every 15 minutes. Everyone was just kind of worried and everyone just wanted me to be okay."
This proved to be only a small speed bump for Seger, as she was participating in full practices before she knew it and playing full games by the end of the season. Her perseverance not only as an athlete, but as a person was evident here more than ever before. If you couldn't tell before, you know now that nothing is going to stop Michelle Seger.
Now, nearly a year since these events occurred, Michelle is working to raise awareness for sepsis and sees her experience as an opportunity to help others.
"I know now that I could have saved precious minutes in my treatment by saying the words 'I'm concerned I may have sepsis' or those who brought me to the hospital could have said it for me. Now, I want to make as many people aware of the symptoms of sepsis."
Michelle, along with the BU women's lacrosse team, participated in the Sepsis Superhero Challenge in September, a walk in support of all those affected by sepsis.
"It just makes BU lacrosse really feel like a family. You can really tell that they have my back through everything. They helped me fundraise and they have been doing so much for me. They are just really supportive."
You can help donate to Michelle Seger's Sepsis Awareness page here.
Players Mentioned
A
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