TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A student-led organization is working to close a dangerous knowledge gap surrounding one of the leading causes of death in U.S. hospitals: sepsis.
Kimora Branch, a Yorktown native, is working to raise awareness about sepsis, a life-threatening medical condition and leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals. She undertook the endeavor after surviving the illness herself and realizing how little it is understood nationwide.
SHINE, the nation’s first collegiate sepsis awareness club, was founded at the University of Alabama to educate college students and communities about the signs, risks, and long-term effects of sepsis.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis is a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection. The infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs to work poorly. Sepsis may progress to septic shock, a dramatic drop in blood pressure that can damage organs, and when that damage is severe, it can lead to death.
“Sepsis is essentially your body’s reaction, whether it’s an overreaction or underreaction, to an infection,” Branch said. “And it’s so, so serious because you can get it from basically anything.”
Kimora, a college student and sepsis survivor, said her own experience with the condition revealed how little public understanding exists. She was hospitalized with pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, though she did not initially realize how severe her condition was.
“I didn’t even know what sepsis was until I was in the hospital,” she said. “And then they didn’t even really explain what it was to me in the hospital.”
Branch said it was only later, after ongoing health complications, that she fully understood the gravity of what she had survived.
“The reason why I went to the hospital was because I had sepsis, and I almost lost my life,” she said. “And now I have post-sepsis syndrome, and I have the after effects of sepsis.”
That lack of education is a major reason sepsis continues to claim lives.
“Nobody really explains to people what sepsis is, and I believe that that is why it is still the number one killer in hospitals,” she said. “Majority, not all, but majority of sepsis cases are preventable.”
Kimora’s advocacy work took her to Capitol Hill with the Sepsis Alliance, where she met families who lost loved ones to the condition, including the father of a 4-year-old girl who died within hours of becoming septic.
“Over 300,000 people a year die of this, and they can’t be here to advocate,” she said. “And I am so lucky to have the chance to be here and advocate.”
That experience inspired her to launch SHINE after discovering no collegiate sepsis awareness clubs existed nationwide.
“I found out there were no sepsis clubs at all, and not even any in the country,” she said. “So I started it right then.”
SHINE focuses on education-based outreach, partnering with other campus organizations to deliver short presentations on sepsis while supporting those groups’ philanthropic efforts. The organization is also planning events tied to Greek life incentives and fundraising initiatives benefiting the Sepsis Alliance.
“Our entire focus-based impact is through sepsis education,” she said.
The response from students and organizations has been strong, even among those unfamiliar with the condition.
“We have had a lot of ‘what even is sepsis,’ which was the goal,” she said. “Even if they didn’t participate in the club, just seeing the club and being like, oh, what is sepsis and Googling it … is already starting to achieve our goal.”
Beyond campus, Kimora is working to bring the message back to her hometown and local communities.
“Nobody here even knows what it is,” she said. “I obviously want to protect the people in my home community.”
She emphasized that preventing sepsis-related deaths often begins with simple conversations.
“Just knowing what sepsis is and talking about it,” she said. “I believe five minutes can stick with somebody forever.”
Looking ahead, she hopes to expand SHINE nationwide.
“My long term goal for shine is to try to instill it in every single state,” she said. “We have a really big mission.”
For those interested in getting involved, SHINE shares information through its Instagram page, @shine.initiative, and offers resources for starting chapters, supporting advocacy efforts or simply learning to recognize the signs of sepsis.
Branch emphasized that prevention often starts with simple conversations.
“Just knowing what sepsis is and talking about it,” she said. “I believe five minutes can stick with somebody forever.”
Kimora Branch hopes SHINE’s message will continue to spread beyond college campuses and into communities like Yorktown, where she said awareness could save lives.
