Nine-year-old Barney Hossain is fast becoming a sales and health promotion superhero, this time after courageously subduing an evil condition.
A sepsis diagnosis in May last year was a bolt from the blue for the young chap, a normal day running a cross country in good health, shivering, vomiting, disorientation and slurred speech the next.
The indiscriminate condition is the body’s toxic response to an infection, and in Barney’s case it led to a growth plate in his knee getting infected, and he has ongoing treatment for this and regular check-ups to monitor any underlying sepsis symptoms.
The St Joseph’s School pupil is spilling the tea about his ordeal through Sepsis Trust NZ’s SEPSIS Superhero campaign, unmasking the signs of sepsis for children and adults, the causes of the condition and why urgent action is required.
He’ll be sharing these important messages with hundreds of homemade cookies and cups of strawberry and raspberry tea from “a massive urn” on offer at Nelson Cathedral this Sunday at 11.45am, with every cent for Sepsis Trust NZ.
Barney had previously raised $650 for Cancer Society Nelson Tasman by selling homemade lemonade at pop-up locations during the summer of 2024.
While Barney’s whānau knew of sepsis through general practitioner father Mark, his mother Ally, who is Sepsis Trust NZ’s communications and engagement director, says more community awareness was called for.
“Anyone can get sepsis, we’re all potentially at risk… Barney was not your typical case at all,” she says.
“There would be certain people who would be slightly more at risk, a woman who’s just given birth, a newborn, or a very older person, or someone who has got a weakened immune system.
“One in five deaths around the world are from sepsis, and the quicker it’s treated, the better the outcome.
“Every hour that you delay treatment, the risk of death goes up eight per cent, so that’s extraordinary, you just don’t see that in any other condition.”
Ally says reducing sepsis risk includes vaccination, proper hand washing, and seeking early medical treatment for any infections.
To donate to Barney's fundraiser for Sepsis Trust NZ visit: http://www.stopsepsis.org.nz/barney-hossain
