A woman thought her health issues were tied to a stomach bug, and doctors thought it was an autoimmune disease, but it was actually sepsis and toxic shock syndrome (TSS)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
“I could barely hold my 18-month-old son because I was so weak,” Audrey Leishman recalled<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
She has since created a foundation to spread awareness about the health issues<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A Virginia Beach woman thought she had a stomach bug, and doctors thought she had an autoimmune disease. It ended up being something much deadlier.<\/p>\n
Audrey Leishman started experiencing symptoms of what she initially thought was an upset stomach a couple of days after having her Intrauterine Device (IUD) removed in March 2015, according to the nonprofit Sepsis Alliance<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I underwent an IUD removal in hopes of trying for another baby shortly after,” Leishman, 42, recalled. “Two days later, I started my first period in 18 months and resumed tampon use. That Friday evening, I slept with one as I had done several times in the past.”<\/p>\n The next day, the mom-of-three said she started feeling unwell, experiencing stomach cramps and “severe pain in my right elbow and left big toe,” along with a high fever, nosebleeds, diarrhea and shortness of breath.<\/p>\n “I could barely hold my 18-month-old son because I was so weak. My temperature was 102\u00b0F,” said Leishman.\u00a0<\/p>\n Audrey Leishman. She eventually went to urgent care, where doctors initially thought she had some form of an autoimmune disease, Fox News<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n “I actually thought I was going a little bit crazy \u2026 I hadn’t injured myself. I was really confused as to what was going on,” said Leishman. “They took a very long time to figure out what was going wrong with me.”<\/p>\n “They kept testing me for different things,” she continued. “Eventually, they admitted me, and I was in the ICU for a total of 10 days \u2014 five of which were in a medically induced coma.”<\/p>\n Audrey Leishman Leishman was eventually diagnosed with sepsis and toxic shock syndrome (TSS), per the Sepsis Alliance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that harms the immune system, tissues and organs. It can lead to organ failure or death if not treated urgently, according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n TSS, per the Mayo Clinic<\/a>, is a rare complication that comes about due to certain types of bacterial infections.<\/p>\n “I had never heard of sepsis, and I realized that was why I almost died,” Leishman told Fox News. “If I had known what the symptoms were and what to look out for, I would have sought treatment earlier.”<\/p>\n “When I finally did wake up [from the coma], it was quite the process of relearning how to walk again, dealing with at-home physical therapy and being on a peripherally inserted central catheter,” she continued.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<\/strong> PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n After realizing how little is known about sepsis, Leishman created the Begin Again Foundation<\/a> alongside her husband, Marc Leishman, to spread awareness about the health problems.<\/p>\n “In a time when people are struggling, if I can help ease that burden … so they can focus more on the recovery,” she said, adding: “It is my absolute passion and honor to continue to do that. And that is the main focus of the organization.”<\/p>\n![\"Audrey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/26bfafd5b36f64d3f2e7b5dd143d42b4.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Audrey Leishman\/Instagram<\/p>\n![\"Audrey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/00430e794bfceaab4c8f3c600d496a83.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Audrey Leishman\/Instagram<\/p>\n