Surrey team to cycle length of UK in Honour of local woman who died from sepsis
The ride honours Anne Channevy Walsh, who died from sepsis after routine surgery, with the team aiming to educate the public and medical professionals about the signs of the condition
A group of cyclists from Surrey will begin a 1,000-mile ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats on 28 June to raise awareness of sepsis and raise money for the UK Sepsis Trust and Versus Arthritis.
The ride is in memory of Anne Channevy Walsh, a Banstead resident who died earlier this year after developing sepsis following routine surgery. Her sister, Veronique Channevy, said: “She was tenacious. She was resilient. She brought people together. She thought of others all the time. She was a thoughtful, kind sister, an amazing auntie to my girls and loving wife.”
Anne had surgery to straighten a toe affected by arthritis. After the operation at a private hospital, she began to feel unwell. Both the hospital and GP reassured her and her husband Ben that it was just a cold or viral infection. Veronique explained: “Progressively she got worse. They called back again and again. Told no, it’s fine.
"(She) tried contacting the GP, who said, ‘I think again it’s probably viral. We can’t see you, but you can try and come to surgery.’ She wasn’t well enough to come. They prescribed antibiotics over the phone. Then the following morning, she collapsed. Difficulty breathing. Admitted to hospital. And by the following morning, she had gone to septic shock, multiple organ failure and we lost her at 4:30 in the morning... after a long fight.”
The cycling team includes Anne’s husband Ben and friends, all riding to raise funds for the UK Sepsis Trust and Versus Arthritis, charities that supported Anne and her family.
Veronique said the team’s main aim was to raise awareness of sepsis: “What we want is people to understand what this is, what the signs are. And that’s not just the public, it’s the medical profession. So that people act quickly and prevent tragedies happening. It’s that simple.”
She added how many people she had come across who had been affected by sepsis: “I was really amazed at how many people we knew that had been affected personally by sepsis or new people that had been affected by sepsis. My hairdresser, whose cousin died of sepsis; my colleague, whose daughter contracted sepsis. And you realise that actually, although it was out there, no one really knew very much about it. No one knew the symptoms. No one knew how many people were either suffering long-term effects or had had amputations because of sepsis or who had died because of sepsis.”
Veronique said the ride would be a way to “fight back” and help prevent others experiencing the same loss as their family.
The UK Sepsis Trust says five people die from sepsis every hour in the UK. It is caused when the body’s response to infection harms its own tissues and organs.
Dr Ron Daniels, founder of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: “We thank Team ACW for their dedication to raising awareness and funds. Their ride will help save lives by improving understanding of sepsis.”
The team has a JustGiving page for donations and plans to stop along the route to pay tribute to Anne.
The key signs of sepsis include slurred speech or confusion, extreme muscle pain, passing no urine, severe breathlessness, feeling like you are going to die, and mottled or pale skin. If any of these appear with an infection, urgent medical attention is needed.
The team plans to stop along the route to pay tribute to Anne and share their message about sepsis awareness.