Photo via BBC Sport

'I thought I was going to die' - Burnley boss on sepsis scare

After relocating from San Diego to join Burnley's coaching staff in December 2025, Bachteler initially mistook her early symptoms for a minor cold and travel fatigue. However, a sudden onset of extreme dizziness and severe breathlessness at the training complex prompted immediate assessment by the men's team physician, who discovered dangerously low oxygen levels and falling blood pressure.

Rushed into emergency care, her vital signs rapidly deteriorated, skin blotches appeared, and she was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit where multiple clinicians administered intravenous antibiotics, fluids, and continuous oxygen. Isolated from her American relatives and her spouse, who was grounded by a Finnish snowstorm, she spent several days in critical care with frequent blood monitoring, temporarily lost the ability to stand, and subsequently had to relearn how to walk.

Following months of rehabilitation, Burnley appointed her manager of their women's side in July. While back in the dugout, she continues to manage post-sepsis syndrome, which triggered an episode of severe lightheadedness, emotional distress, and overheating during a recent warm-weather pre-season exhibition match where she sought refuge in a nearby cafe cooler.

Bachteler has credited the club's medical team with preserving her life and facilitating specialist respiratory care, while leaning on supportive players and her assistant staff to share responsibilities as she navigates her ongoing recovery.