Ryan was a happy, healthy, cheeky 13-month-old little boy who lit up every room he entered. It’s unbelievable how life can change in a moment.

What started as a mild cold  quickly became something far more serious.

He developed high fevers. He stopped walking. He became weak, floppy, and lethargic.

And as a mum, I just knew something wasn’t right.

Despite multiple visits to hospital, Ryan’s condition continued to deteriorate. A retrieval team was flown in to urgently transfer him to the nearest major hospital.

When we landed, a whole team was already waiting. That’s when it truly hit me: my baby was in serious trouble.

After days without sleep, the team encouraged me to rest in the parent room while they worked on him.

I’ll never forget the knock on that door.

They told me Ryan had gone into cardiac arrest.

And that he wasn’t expected to survive.

I begged them not to stop. Ten agonizing minutes later… they got him back.

But our journey was only just beginning.

Ryan was in severe septic shock caused by a  Group A streptococcal infection 

He spent weeks on life support with multiple organ failure. Time and time again, we were told the future wasn’t good.

Sepsis had pushed his little body to the absolute edge 

but incredibly, he kept fighting.

After months in hospital, we faced our next hardest chapter: life-changing surgeries. Ryan underwent multiple amputations both lower legs, all of his fingertips, and several fingers.

Coming home was overwhelming, but we were wrapped in a community of love and support something we continue to lean on today.

Our whole life changed in a single moment. And although our story could have ended differently, we’re here and we’re using our voice to raise awareness for sepsis.

We want other parents to trust their instincts when something doesn’t feel right.

We want the world to understand: sepsis can happen to anyone, and any infection can lead to it.

We hope to help build a community of love, support, and education for others whose lives have been touched by sepsis.

Today, Ryan is still that cheeky, vibrant little boy now three years old. He recently took his first steps on prosthetic legs a moment we’ll never forget.

Our journey is ongoing, with regular travel appointments and surgeries for his ongoing health needs, but we know how lucky we are that he’s still here.

And we could never have made it through without the love and support of the people around us.