ManitobaA Manitoba cabinet minister is warning others to take their health seriously when they are feeling ill, after a sepsis scare in April left her in a hospital bed, slipping in and out of consciousness, and fearing for her life.Renée Cable is now warning others to take symptoms seriously when they feel illDave Baxter · CBC News · Posted: Oct 01, 2025 11:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours agoRenée Cable, Manitoba’s minister of advanced education and training, says she knew next to nothing about sepsis before she was hospitalized and rendered unconscious from the condition, where the body’s immune response to an infection damages its own tissues. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)A Manitoba cabinet minister is warning others to take their health seriously when they are feeling ill, after a sepsis scare in April left her in a hospital bed, slipping in and out of consciousness, and fearing for her life.”I think most importantly, listen to your body,” Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable told CBC News in an interview Monday.”Prioritize your health, which I know is easier said than done, but take care of things when it’s time to take care of them.”Cable said she started feeling sick in April, but originally thought it was a cold and that it would pass. She says about 10 days later, she started to experience more severe symptoms, including nausea and headaches, and decided to see a doctor. “I mentioned that I had some pain just kind of below my ribs, and then it all sort of spiralled from there,” Cable said. “So I ignored some pretty significant symptoms for a while.”‘It declined quickly’The 46-year-old mother of two, who is also the NDP MLA for Southdale in Winnipeg, eventually landed in the emergency room of St. Boniface Hospital, where she says things became increasingly dire, as she became disoriented and lost her ability to speak.”Really it declined quickly,” she said.What followed for Cable was about two days of going in and out of consciousness in the hospital, she said.Doctors eventually determined that Cable had sepsis of the gallbladder. She underwent surgery to remove the infected gallbladder, then spent weeks recovering while also dealing with serious complications.”It’s not like a cold and you just wake up and it’s all over,” she said. “I was exhausted for weeks. I spent most days just in bed all day.”She returned to work at the Manitoba Legislature in early June, saying she eased herself back into the role, and is now back to work full-time.Prior to her diagnosis, Cable said she knew very little about sepsis or how dangerous it can be. “I had never, ever encountered it,” she said. “I had heard of a friend having it and she recovered, but she still has some long-term health problems, but really had no idea that it was a thing. “And I certainly didn’t understand the magnitude.”Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs, according to information found on the Canadian Sepsis Foundation’s website. It says as many as one in 18 deaths in Canada involve sepsis, making it the 12th leading cause of death nationally.New perspective on lifeCable says her health scare has now given her a new perspective on life and on what’s important, and a new appreciation for prioritizing time with her family and her kids. “I’m grateful for the experience of being able to really think about how I want the rest of this life to go, and to appreciate the people I have around me, and to think a little bit more about how I want to make a difference,” she said. She is also commending the health-care workers who gave her care, while asking Manitobans to be patient and understanding with those who work in emergency rooms and other health-care facilities.”Give the people on the front lines all of the love and respect,” Cable said. “They’re not seeing people at their best and they are carrying a heavy weight, and if we want to be met with compassion and empathy, we have to give it back.”She said she will educate people about sepsis, while also continuing to warn people that they should seek help when they are feeling sick — no matter how busy they are, or what else is going on in their lives.”It was a reminder that no matter how much you schedule, how much you have going on, when life interrupts, you just have to listen and do what your body tells you.”With files from Bartley Kives
Manitoba cabinet minister speaking out after life-threatening sepsis scare
