Caitlin thought she had a cold. It was much worse.

Caitlin Alsop has been through an absolute health ordeal. 

When she was 23, Caitlin was healthy and happy. Then she started to notice a rash that kept cropping on her face, followed by cold and flu symptoms. There was a fever, sore throat and sore ears. Caitlin was told by her GP to take it easy as it was likely just the flu.

After going out to dinner with a friend, Caitlin returned home exhausted and her tongue was becoming more painful, as if she had bitten her tongue.

"As the weekend wore on I just felt more and more unwell. My tongue had started to swell up and I thought I was having a stroke or something, as I couldn't breathe or talk properly," she told Queensland Health.

Home alone and unable to speak with shallow breath, Caitlin texted photos of her swollen and sore tongue to loved ones. Her aunt was concerned and raced her to their local hospital.

Watch: What is sepsis? Post continues below.

Doctors first assumed Caitlin had anaphylaxis. It was far worse. And her condition wasn't improving at all — her blood pressure had completely dropped, her breathing worsened and she kept passing out. A rash rapidly spread over her body too, and her tongue had turned black. She was transferred to a bigger hospital for further emergency care.

"When I arrived, there were nearly 20 doctors and specialists waiting for me. They transferred me to intensive care, put me in an induced coma, paralysed me and put me on a life support ventilator for nine days. My family was told to prepare for the worst as I remained a medical mystery and the doctors raced against time to save my life," she explained to End Sepsis.

Caitlin spent nine days in a coma in the ICU. For her family, it was a devastatingly difficult time.

"Like so many young people, I had no idea an infection could lead to this. I was walking around and then I was literally burning from the inside out in the ICU as a medical mystery," she told news.com.au.

It turns out that the cause of Caitlin's poor health was Ludwig's Angina from an unknown wisdom tooth infection in her jaw that then led to severe sepsis.

"I had no pain, good oral hygiene and no other symptoms, but this wisdom tooth had nearly cost me my life. The infection took over my body and nearly killed me. That's the reality of sepsis," she said.

Recovery was arduous but promising, she told Mamamia.

Caitlin recounted that she initially couldn't talk properly, nor could she eat well because of the ulcers in her mouth. She had also developed a lisp from the burnt tongue. But she always found the positive.

"I'm honestly truly grateful to be alive. I have basically made a full recovery and can't really put into words how lucky I am to be here," she told Mamamia.

Caitlin Alsop hopes to make a difference. Image: Instagram.

Through the help of her family and friends, she became stronger and stronger every day. Recently, she did a shout-out for her mother via Instagram, thanking her for always being there amid her health struggles. 

"You have always been behind me, holding my hand and helping me find my own voice. You always share my story and from that very first day, coming out of hospital, you told me we would face this together," she said. 

"To my beautiful mum who nursed me back to health — forever loved and lucky to have you."

Caitlin has been left with multiple scars because of her health scare — specifically the endotracheal intubation and neck drains. But as she shares via Coma to Confidence, she sees these scars are reminders of how precious life is.

"In nearly losing my tongue, I gained a voice. I was determined to make a difference," she told Mamamia.

"I hope that sharing my story helps someone with their own scars, inspires someone and enables someone to see just how strong they truly are. Never be ashamed of a scar, because it means that something tried to beat you but you were stronger than it."

Six years on from her near-death experience, Caitlin is raising awareness about the severity of sepsis, given it causes one in five deaths globally. September is also Sepsis Awareness Month, Caitlin wishing to highlight educational project FACE Sepsis.

Her ultimate goal is to help people learn, but also to save lives. 

"It's a really profound feeling. All I ever wanted to do waking up in hospital was to acknowledge that I had been given a second chance and help others. To know that someone can read my story and know that they are never alone, or to recognise the signs of sepsis is the most important thing."

For more from Caitlin Alsop and to read about her advocacy, you can visit her Instagram or visit Coma to Confidence. 

Ahead of World Sepsis Day (13 September), Sepsis Australia is launching a new awareness campaign: #SepsisChallenge. It's a national social media campaign asking Aussies to attempt a tongue twister to raise awareness about the life-threatening condition that claims the lives of 8,700 people in Australia each year. You can visit Sepsis Australia for more information.

Feature Image: Instagram.

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