My name is Austin Haley, and although I’ve never had sepsis myself, I’ve experienced its impact in a way I will never forget through the loss of my father. My dad was always the person who was there for me, no matter what. He was the one who helped me with everything, from schoolwork to life advice. Losing him on February 4, 2020, was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. The day he passed, I felt more alone than I ever had before. Growing up, my dad was everything to me. He wasn’t just a father he was my best friend, my role model, and my support system. I knew that no matter what happened, I could always count on him to be there. So when I found out that he had sepsis, I didn’t fully understand how serious it was. It all started with what seemed like a simple infection, but it quickly turned into something far worse. The doctors said that his body was reacting to the infection in a way that was out of control. Despite all the medical care, sepsis took hold, and we lost him. After he passed, I felt lost. I didn’t know how to cope with the grief. For the next year or so, I was going through a rough time. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and wished I could’ve done more to help him. The emptiness I felt was unbearable. Even though I had family and friends who tried to support me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that no one really understood how much pain I was in. It was as if a part of me was missing, and I didn’t know how to fill that gap. The hardest part was realizing that I wouldn’t get to see him again. I won’t be able to share big moments of my life with him, like graduating or getting my first job. I had to learn how to live without him, which wasn’t easy. But as time went on, I started to remember the good times we had and the lessons he taught me. Slowly, I began to heal. I still miss him every day, but I know he would want me to keep going and live a life that would make him proud. Looking back, I realize how much I’ve learned from my dad’s death. I’ve become more aware of how serious illnesses like sepsis can be, and I want to share his story to help others understand the dangers. Losing my dad was devastating, but if I can raise awareness about sepsis and help someone avoid what happened to him, it would give his life even more meaning.

My name is Austin Haley, and I am a wrestler—for now. I know that in a few more years, I will be done with wrestling for good, but I am going to make the most of it while I can. I have been given the privilege of being offered a partial scholarship from a college called Siena Heights University. But even with all of the help they are providing for me, I will still have a hard time covering the rest. My early life was not very easy. My dad was the best though—he helped me through everything. My dad and mom were only in a relationship for a short amount of time before they had me, and my dad was told by doctors that, due to his medical conditions, he would most likely not be able to have children. So when he had me, he was beyond happy. He was always there for me, no matter what I needed. After he passed away on February 4, 2020, I went to a dark place. I had a very hard time dealing with the loss of the one person who cared about me the most. It took me a while to recover mentally from his death, but I started to realize that what made my day better was seeing other people having a good day. I know that the pain will always be with me, so I learned not to try to escape it but to use it for everything I do in life. The pain became my motivation to make other people’s days better, and it is what keeps me moving when everything feels hard. In five years from now, where do I see myself? That is a really hard question for me because there are so many opportunities in life, and I never want to pass any up. Given everything I know about my life right now, I would say I see myself in the Marine Corps. I had planned on joining right after high school, but a new opportunity came up from Siena Heights, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to wrestle for four more years and get a much more affordable education. But ever since I was little, I knew that I wanted to serve my country, just like so many other courageous people have, because I know that when my time is done in the Marine Corps, I will be a better leader and a better role model for my two younger sisters. Where will I be in ten years? Well, this took me a long time to think about, but I think I figured it out. Honestly, I don’t know where I will be, but I do know that I will be better than I am today. I know that ten years from now, I will be smarter, stronger, and more motivated. I know I will have helped many people along the way, and that a lot of people will have helped me. I’m really excited to see what the next ten years have in store, but I cannot say exactly where I will be.