On April 30, 2002, Carl Flatley’s life changed. It was the day his daughter Erin died from septic shock, something Dr. Flatley, DDS, MSD, a retired endodontist, had never heard of. (Faces of Sepsis: Erin Flatley)

After Erin’s death, Dr. Flatley learned everything he could about sepsis and he was astounded at what he – and millions of other Americans – didn’t know about the condition. He was shocked to learn that sepsis killed well over 200,000 people in the U.S. every year and affected so many more survivors.

In 2004, Dr. Flatley founded the American Sepsis Alliance, which in 2007, became Sepsis Alliance. He made it his mission that sepsis would become as well known as cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses, and that as few people as possible would get sepsis, let alone die from it.

His unending devotion to Erin’s memory has had a significant impact on many people.