Opening Remarks and Wife and Death: A Lady Glaucomflecken Keynote
Opening Remarks:
During these opening remarks, Sepsis Alliance will introduce this year’s 2025 Erin Kay Flatley Spirit Award Winner. Attendees will hear remarks from both Dr. Carl Flatley, the founder of Sepsis Alliance, and our 2025 award recipient.
The Erin Kay Flatley Spirit Award recognizes outstanding dedication, sacrifice, and contribution to improving sepsis awareness and reducing the suffering caused by sepsis. The award was named for Dr. Flatley’s daughter, Erin, who died from sepsis in 2002.
Wife and Death: A Lady Glaucomflecken Keynote:
Medical crises create profound, lasting impacts not only for patients but also for co-survivors—the family members, partners, and close associates who witness and endure these traumatic experiences alongside them. Kristin Flanary, patient and family advocate known online as "Lady Glaucomflecken," shares her deeply personal insights into the co-survivorship journey, drawing from her own experiences of co-surviving life-altering medical emergencies alongside her husband. Kristin introduces the concept of the "Quiet Place" and her "Explain-Name-Validate" framework as essential tools for addressing the often unseen psychological and emotional impacts on co-survivors. Through storytelling and practical strategies, Kristin will guide healthcare professionals in recognizing and honoring the dignity, needs, and healing processes of co-survivors, emphasizing the importance of compassionate, trauma-informed healthcare, particularly relevant to families affected by sepsis.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, the learner should be able to:
- Define co-survivorship as a distinct, impactful experience requiring targeted recognition and support, particularly in severe illnesses such as sepsis;
- Identify the unique psychological, emotional, and cognitive challenges faced by co-survivors, independent of their relationship to the patient;
- Describe the "Explain-Name-Validate" framework and demonstrate how healthcare providers can apply this model to support co-survivors in trauma-informed ways;
- List practical strategies for creating healthcare environments that are sensitive to the needs of co-survivors, incorporating lessons from patient-centered practices such as those found in pediatric and palliative care.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Kristin Flanary, MA
International Speaker, Podcaster
Glaucomflecken
Kristin Flanary (aka "Lady Glaucomflecken") is a podcaster, speaker, writer, and advocate recognized for her humorous and insightful contributions to the medical community. As the wife of Dr. Will Flanary—also known as the comedic figure "Dr. Glaucomflecken"—Kristin became a prominent voice on the topics of trauma, resilience, and co-survivorship after saving her husband from sudden cardiac arrest. With a background in psychology, she champions the recognition and support of caregivers and co-survivors in medical care. She is honored to have received an EMS Cardiac Arrest Save Challenge Coin, the Citizen CPR Foundation's 40 Under 40 award, and the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Champion award. She and her husband co-host the medical comedy podcast, “Knock Knock, Hi! with the Glaucomfleckens,” and are currently touring “Wife and Death,” a live stage show based on their life story.
Kristin Flanary had no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Carl Flatley, DDS, MSD
Founder
Sepsis Alliance
On April 30, 2002, Carl Flatley’s life changed. It was the day his daughter, Erin, died from septic shock, something Carl Flatley, DDS, MSD, a retired endodontist, had never heard of. After Erin’s death, Dr. Flatley learned everything he could about sepsis, and was astounded by what he – and millions of other Americans – didn’t know about the condition. He was shocked to learn that, at the time, sepsis killed well over 200,000 people in the U.S. every year and even survivors were often left with serious after-effects. In 2004, Dr. Flatley founded the American Sepsis Alliance, which became Sepsis Alliance in 2007. It became his mission to make sepsis as well-known as cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses. His catchphrase became “So More Survive,” encapsulating his commitment to seeing fewer lives and limbs lost to sepsis. This unending devotion to Erin’s memory has had a significant impact on many people.
Theresa M. Mostasisa, EdD, PHN, DSD, MS, BSN, RN
Quality Nurse Consultant, Sepsis Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center
Theresa M. Mostasisa, EdD, PHN, DSD, MS, BSN, RN, is an accomplished professor, consultant, and entrepreneur with extensive experience across healthcare, education, business, and nonprofit sectors. Her career began in the Bay Area and has since expanded internationally, making her a sought-after expert in education, leadership, and healthcare systems improvement. Dr. Mostasisa has held diverse roles including Clinical Nurse Educator, Director of Nursing, and Hospital Administrator, and she currently serves as a Quality Nurse Consultant at one of the nation’s top hospitals.
Her expertise spans curriculum and program development, strategic planning, quality improvement, diversity training, and performance evaluation. A dynamic speaker and published author, Dr. Mostasisa actively serves on several boards and collaborates across industries, including law enforcement and business, guided by a philosophy of excellence, inclusion, and joy in the work.