The Day My Husband Nearly Died, and What It Taught Me About life

positiveemissions
Sep 23
3 min read

If you had told me that one Sunday afternoon would change everything, I might not have believed you.

Bringing our girls to visit, trying to keep a positive attitude while not knowing how many of these visits we would have.

My husband, Blake, spiked a fever, and like many of us do, we thought it was just a routine illness. But within hours, that fever turned into something much more serious.

After a few trips to the emergency room, Blake became septic and was admitted to the hospital. What no one could explain at first was what was actually wrong.

He was surrounded by a large team of doctors, infectious disease specialists, and residents trying to find answers. All the while, I was juggling the fear of what was happening while taking care of our three kiddos. Our youngest son, Max, was only three months old at the time.

I had just returned to work after maternity leave, still adjusting to the balance of being a mama to three kids and a professional, while my husband was fighting for his life in a hospital bed just floors away.

Visiting my husband on the cancer floor during one of my breaks while I was working in the cancer center as a Radiation Therapist.

It was a first-year medical resident — one of the youngest on the team — who suggested HLH, a rare and little-known condition she had heard about from a friend. Without that suggestion, Blake’s diagnosis might have been missed. Once it was confirmed, he was rushed to oncology and started immediately on chemotherapy. The care and urgency of that moment saved his life.

That terrifying experience was unlike anything I had ever faced, and yet it also brought an unexpected clarity — the clearest I’ve ever had in my life. As I prayed and held onto hope, I asked God to help me never forget how fragile life is and to remind me what truly matters.

In that moment, all the distractions, the noise of everyday life, the endless chase for more — none of it seemed important.

The size of our home, the car we drive, the clothes we wear — those things are just background noise compared to the precious gift of time with family and loved ones.

Blake’s sudden fight with HLH, more than anything else, is why I started Positive Emissions. It’s about holding close to the people who matter, about capturing their stories and their voices while they are here, fully present and alive. Because sometimes, life doesn’t give you warning — and if you wait too long, you may lose the chance forever, no matter your age or health status.

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from my story, it’s this: don’t wait. Don’t wait for the perfect time, or the right moment, or until it feels urgent. Start now. Make space for the people you love.

Capture their stories. Because those moments are what truly last.

In the next post, I’ll share how my grandpa’s final days taught me about the bittersweet reality of waiting too long — and the power of having a loved one’s voice recorded forever.

Thank you for reading and for being part of this journey.

-Britt

If you or your loved one is fighting Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) visit https://histio.org/ to learn more and join a supportive community of survivors.