Tracey's Story

A young mother, Tracey Corcoran, was only 37 years old when she unfortunately passed away from sepsis on 20th June 2020, leaving behind her beautiful kids Sophie and William, and her loving family and friends.

Tracey was a bubbly character and always saw the best in people. She was known for her witty humor and for making people laugh. She was a devoted mother to her kids and was always seen at the majority of training sessions and matches for William and any shows Sophie would partake in. Tracey would have been willing to part heaven and earth for both of them, to ensure they were always happy and had a smile on their faces and this rang true when Sophie would beg and plead with her to wear Little Mix outfits to their concerts which Tracey duly obliged.

Not only was Tracey a devoted mother, but she also had such a special bond with her parents, Mary and Tom, and siblings Sinéad, Thomas and James who all shared very special memories throughout the years, like trips to Barry Island and Youghal as family.

In Late May 2020, Tracey began to feel unwell. Tracey had a very rare form of rheumatoid arthritis, adult-onset Still's disease, also known as AOSD. This is an auto-immune condition, that can leave the immune system susceptible. As a family, the Corcorans felt this may have been the reason for her feeling under the weather. With her wellbeing declining, the decision was made to bring Tracey to SouthDoc. She was suffering from a high temperature, and it was thought that it was related to her AOSD condition. Into the early hours on a Sunday morning, Tracey worsened and there was a need to call an ambulance to the house. The doctor on call then put her on a drip while they assessed her and they felt she was suffering from gastroenteritis but that it would pass overnight. On the assurance of the doctors, the family hoped it would pass but unfortunately that was not the case. Tracey's pain became unbearable and a decision on Monday morning was made to admit her to hospital. In the afternoon, it was advised she was to be put into the intensive care unit but by Tuesday morning Tracey was taken out of ICU and it was then that she experienced a rapid decline in her health. By Wednesday, septic shock had caught hold of her body and she needed to be rushed onto life support. Whilst all this was happening, Ireland was under a severe lockdown making this situation extremely tough for Tracey but also her kids and family, who were unable to see her. Updates happened over the phone, with everyone praying with each call for some good news but this was not to be.

Tracey rallied and rallied showing warrior-like strength and was determined not to give up without a fight. However, at 7:27 pm on the 20th June 2020, this beautiful young mother's life was taken from her at the tender age of 37, leaving behind two heartbroken children and a family who worshipped the ground she walked on.

Tracey's family and friends continue to raise awareness about sepsis. They have given back to the sepsis community by hosting fundraising events for sepsis (and for machines to detect sepsis quicker) which turned out to be very successful. Her siblings James & Sinéad, along with James's wife Lorraine, have recently become charity trustees and they hope that through their work other families can avoid going through a similar tragedy, while also ensuring that Tracey's memory lives on forever.