After Welsh television presenter Andrea Byrne's dad died from sepsis in 2017, she made it her mission to raise awareness about the deadly infection they call 'the silent killer'. Claiming the lives of around five people every hour in the UK, it can be difficult to detect because symptoms are very similar to other conditions.
But Andrea is determined to 'make her dad proud' by making others aware and has teamed up with another family who know only too well the dangers.
Bafta-winning actor Jason Watkins and his wife Clara Francis lost their two-year-old daughter Maudie when she was only two. She had undiagnosed sepsis. They have now told their story in a powerful and moving documentary that has been produced by Andrea and the ITV Wales team and is due to be screened on Thursday night. You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Ahead of the show, the couple hosted a special charity preview screening attended by more than 250 guests, including Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman and Downton Abbey start Hugh Bonneville.
The documentary tells the emotional story of the couple's daughter Maudie, who had what they thought was a bad cold, before she died suddenly in the early hours of New Year’s Day, 2011.
Sepsis is a condition where the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection, causing it to go into overdrive and attack the body's tissues and organs. Ever since the tragedy, Jason and Clara, like Andrea, have been on a mission to raise awareness of sepsis and also to give hope to other bereaved parents.
Andrea's father died on January 17, 2017. He had fallen ill not long before Christmas with what he thought was a very nasty stomach bug. He didn't think he was ill enough to see a doctor, but after a short time was admitted to intensive care. And, shortly afterwards, he was placed in an induced coma where he remained for several days.
Andrea admitted that she knew very little about the infection before the tragedy, but had since produced several documentaries raising awareness.
Ahead of the screening, she said: "Hope my dad may be proud. I asked Jason Watkins if he & Clara would tell their story of losing toddler Maudie to sepsis - the result’s on ITV this week. I lost my dad to sepsis five years ago and I wanted to raise awareness. Biggest thanks to Jason and Clara for sharing their unimaginable grief."
At the screening, Jason said: "Creating this film was an incredibly emotional experience for Clara and me. We made it because we know so many families go through the pain of losing a child - and that by sharing our normal but quirky family, it shows that you can survive such adversity, in an imperfect way.
"Sepsis is such a difficult condition to diagnose and the better awareness amongst us all, which the film can radiate, can save lives. This evening's screening brought together people from charities that do so much important work to support people affected, including my wife and me, which we are so grateful for.
"We hope our film will in some way help to show others that, as hard as losing a child is, support is available and to highlight the need to keep improving diagnosis and treatment for sepsis, which is so vital."
Event chairman, Michael Grade, said: “Jason and Clara are, quite simply, extraordinary. Telling their unimaginably painful story in this way makes for unforgettable viewing.
"The support and commitment they’ve given to both the UK Sepsis Trust and Child Bereavement UK have made such a difference – for which we couldn’t be more grateful. Our profound hope is that this heartbreaking film will raise the profile of this ‘killer condition’ and that’s what will, in turn, save lives.”
UKST Founder and Joint CEO Dr Ron Daniels said: "We're so grateful to Jason and Clara for their immense courage in sharing their unfathomable loss in this documentary and for highlighting the importance of the work of our charity, the UK Sepsis Trust and Child Bereavement UK.
"It really brings home in the most moving and poignant way the fact that sepsis can enter the lives of any family at any time, affecting any member of that family, all too often with tragic consequences.
“At the UKST we are on a mission to reduce the number of avoidable deaths from sepsis, which run into the thousands every year. We achieve this by raising public awareness so that people can access healthcare in the right way at the right time, by providing our widely-used tools and training to health professionals across the UK and beyond, and through our support nurses who help people bereaved by sepsis, as well as supporting those who've survived in their ongoing recovery journey. We firmly believe that this documentary will save lives.”
Child Bereavement UK’s chief executive, Ann Chalmers, said: “We are immensely grateful to our Patrons, Jason Watkins and Clara Francis, for their dedication to raising awareness of the issues facing bereaved parents when a precious child dies. Families tell us that hearing others share their experience can help them feel less alone in their grief. Jason and Clara’s courage in making this moving documentary will importantly raise awareness of sepsis as well as highlighting the help that is available to parents after the devastation of child bereavement.”
* Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie will be shown on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Thursday, March 30.
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