Bachteler: “I thought I was going to die” from sepsis

Jackie Bachteler will return to the dugout at Turf Moor on Sunday, but after a life-threatening episode she says happened nine months ago: sepsis, per BBC Sport.

Back on the touchline

The American joined Burnley in December to work with the women’s first team and the men’s academy. But just three weeks later, she was rushed to A&E and diagnosed with sepsis, which left her bedridden for days. She describes the moment as instinctive: “To be honest, I thought I was going to die…”. She also explains that after initial treatment she asked for more because her blood pressure dropped quickly and her oxygen levels were very low.

Bachteler spent a couple of days in intensive care while staff monitored her blood every 20 minutes and checked her organs. She adds that the circumstances were particularly hard on the personal side too: her family couldn’t travel from the United States, and her wife in Finland was stuck in a snowstorm. She recalls trying to stand on day three and being unable to do so, with nurses advising her not to walk.

Ongoing symptoms

Recovery took months, and she says she still suffers from post-sepsis syndrome, including dizzy spells and extreme fatigue. She also felt unwell again during a pre-season friendly a few weeks ago after getting dizzy in the heat. “Can I sit in your freezer?”, she said she asked, just to calm down.

Bachteler praises Burnley’s support throughout the process, saying club doctors “saved her life” and put her in touch with a respiratory specialist. Her return to work came in July as Burnley appointed her new women’s team manager, and Sunday’s match against Sunderland—also aligning with World Sepsis Day—will mark her first time back in the dugout.

According to BBC Sport, she believes she is now around 70–80% herself, but stresses how close it was: she says if she had been sent home from the emergency room that day, she wouldn’t be sitting here today.