Mayo native takes fight to end sepsis to the White House

A Mayo native and his wife were key figures at a historic US event solely dedicated to sepsis, an illness that sadly claimed the life of their young son 12 years ago.

Ciaran Staunton and his wife Orlaith have played a leading role in the End Sepsis campaign following the death of their 12-year-old son Rory from undiagnosed sepsis in 2012.

The United States’ first and most effective mandatory protocol requirement for sepsis was implemented in the state of New York in 2013 and was named Rory’s Regulations in honour of their son.

The latest event - at the White House in Washington DC - discussed ongoing programmes such as Rory’s Regulations, which saved 16,000 lives in its first four years of operation, as well as how to elevate best practice and build momentum for continued public and private sector action in ending Sepsis.

Ciaran, a native of Louisburgh, spoke to the Western People about the milestone event at the White House.

“Through three administrations, we have lobbied the White House to use their bully pulpit and take a stand on something that is killing 350,000 Americans per year,” he said.

“The thing about the White House is that when you get an event there, all state leaders will be there because it’s not very often that you get an invite to the White House. We want this to now be an annual event and continue under the next administration,” he added.

He said that Rory’s Regulations have provided a platform for other states and countries to act against preventable deaths due to sepsis.

“Rory’s Regulations is nearly 10 years in law in New York so the template is there. It is not as if other countries or every state have to reinvent the wheel, we have shown and proven what can be done to save lives,” he said.

However, Mr Staunton said it is up to the federal government in the United States to take charge on this issue and see national legislation introduced.

“Why should it be left up to two people who buried their son to work day and night on this campaign? This Christmas, we have an empty chair and there will always be an empty chair at our table because of an unnecessary, preventable death.

“The federal government has to get involved. This is not a state-by-state issue.”

To this end, Ciaran and his wife will be working tirelessly to ensure that a landmark bipartisan Sepsis Bill, introduced to the Senate earlier this year but not yet passed into law, will be enacted in early 2025.

“We will be meeting with Senators on both sides of the aisle to reintroduce this. We have a good working relationship with the Senators from both parties and it is our primary goal to get that legislation passed,” he said.