Woman warns after 40-year-old husband dies on 6th wedding anniversary

A woman shares her story after going from preparing to celebrate her sixth wedding anniversary to starting to plan her husband’s funeral just days later.

“I want people to know that life is short and to be kind to themselves,” Karen McNulty of Seaford, N.Y., told “Good Morning America.” “Come in every day for the people you love. Don’t take those little moments for granted. Just be kind to yourself.”

McNulty, a 37-year-old teacher, was just days away from celebrating her sixth wedding anniversary with her husband, Dominic McNulty, last August when she says he texted her from work saying he wasn’t feeling well.

That same night, he began vomiting and developed a fever, said Karen McNulty, mother of his almost 3-year-old son, Dominic Junior.

After some improvement, Dominic McNulty’s condition deteriorated rapidly the next day, and Karen McNulty noticed that his arm had become completely limp.

Concerned, she said she convinced her husband to let her drive him to the hospital, where she said he walked inside on his own without any help.

Just a day later, on Aug. 25, the couple’s wedding anniversary, Dominic McNulty died at the age of 40, his wife said.

“We thought it was just the stomach flu,” Karen McNulty said of her husband’s initial symptoms, adding that she later learned he died of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome caused by sepsis, which occurs when the body has an extreme response to infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Story Behind the Viral Video of Sisters Dealing with Grief with Humor

In Dominic McNulty’s case, a bacterial infection spread throughout his body, causing his organs to shut down. Symptoms of the infection appeared just two days before his death.

According to the CDC, nearly 2 million adults in the United States develop sepsis each year, and most people who develop sepsis have an underlying medical condition, such as a weakened immune system or chronic lung disease.

Dominic McNulty, who loved sports and played on a hockey team with friends, was taking immunosuppressive drugs to treat multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease he was diagnosed with in 2018, which further weakened his body’s ability to fight infections, according to Karen McNulty.

“I did a lot of detective work because, you know, you feel a lot of guilt about what if I had taken him to the hospital sooner,” Karen McNulty said. “The hospital told me that even if I had taken him a few days earlier, the outcome would have been the same because the infection was already in his system.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, symptoms of septic shock include confusion, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, high or very low temperature, chills, dizziness, and pale arms and legs.

Karen McNulty said she was devastated by the sudden loss of the father of her son and beloved husband, who was in good health and planning for the future.

“That feeling of waiting for him to come home. His shoes are still by the front door. His toothbrush is still there. His clothes are hanging in the laundry room,” she said. “You wake up every morning with a pit in your stomach, and every night you go to bed with the lights on, and maybe it was all just a bad dream.”

Not wanting to lose the memories of her husband, especially those involving his relationship with his son, Karen McNulty began sharing videos on social media of them running the bases together at the baseball field, playing with trains and digging in the dirt outside.

“He was most proud of being a father to our son,” Karen McNulty said. “The hardest thing for me is that my husband and my son are missing out on time together. My husband was such an involved father… I’m glad I got to capture those moments.”

She explained that the video recordings of her late husband and son’s memories served as a kind of “diary” for her that helped her cope with her grief.

In July, Karen McNulty shared a video explaining the cause of her husband’s death. The video has since garnered more than 9 million views on TikTok.

Woman went into septic shock after giving birth, her feet and hands were amputated

She added that she hopes the film will not only raise awareness about sepsis, but also encourage people to hug their loved ones tighter and enjoy every day.

“I wake up every day for our son and try to give him the best life possible because I know that’s what my husband would want,” she said. “If you can find love and have a family, that’s the best thing in the world.”

Woman issues warning after 40-year-old husband dies on 6th wedding anniversary. Originally published on goodmorningamerica.com