We’re honored to welcome Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) for opening remarks, alongside Senator Charles Schumer, at the 9th National Forum on Sepsis on Thursday, November 6, 2025. [Register here: EndSepsisForum.org]
Congressman Norcross is not only a policymaker, he is also a sepsis survivor. In early April 2025, he boarded a flight from Florida to Washington, D.C., feeling fine. About 15 minutes after takeoff, he said he was “on the floor of the plane, uncontrollably shaking.”
The American Airlines crew decided to divert the flight to North Carolina, where he was hospitalized before being transferred to Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey. His condition was touch-and-go, and treatment included the use of heart pumps to keep his heart functioning. His life-threatening illness was caused by a gallbladder infection (cholangitis) that had progressed to sepsis.
His illness was severe. He spent time in intensive care and faced a long recovery. As many of you know, survivors often experience weeks or months of recovery even after lifesaving care. When he returned to Congress in June 2025, Congressman Norcross echoed the words of millions of sepsis survivors when he said, “It’s great to be alive today.”
Since his recovery, Norcross has used his platform to spotlight the urgency of sepsis awareness. He has publicly credited rapid response and trained medical professionals for saving his life and emphasized that every minute matters in a medical emergency. His perspective bridges policy and lived experience, helping connect clinical urgency to the laws, standards, and systems that can prevent needless deaths.
Why his story matters: Sepsis does not discriminate. Even with access to excellent care, a common infection can turn deadly with startling speed. The lesson is clear: early recognition and rapid treatment save lives, and we need coordinated national protocols across hospitals, EMS, and public health systems to make that speed standard for everyone.
We are extremely grateful to Congressman Norcross for joining this year’s Forum and for lending his voice and his personal story to our mission at END SEPSIS—to ensure that no one dies a preventable death from sepsis.
