A simple leg infection nearly cost Ed Orgeron his life this past August. Now back at LSU as a recruiting and defensive assistant, the 65-year-old coach recently made a chilling confession about just how close he came to dying before doctors intervened.
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The most disturbing part came hours before he reached the hospital. In a video shared by FMOL Health on YouTube, Ed Orgeron walked through the night that changed everything. He had been at work when he started feeling unwell. Lane Kiffin noticed something was wrong and suggested he head home.
Lane Kiffin arranged for Senior Executive Director of Recruiting & Personnel Dwike Wilson, who had recently arrived from Mississippi, to make sure Ed Orgeron got home safely. What happened next was something nobody expected.
“At midnight, he found me. I was on the floor. I was full of blood. There was mess all over the place. He said, ‘We got to go to the hospital.’ I said, ‘I think so,'” Orgeron revealed.
Dwike’s presence may have made the difference between Ed Orgeron getting medical attention and the situation becoming far worse. By the time he arrived at Our Lady of the Lake, the emergency team was ready for him. Coach O initially had no idea he was dealing with sepsis. The infection had triggered an extreme response from his body, putting his life in immediate danger.
According to FMOL Health’s account, his blood pressure had fallen to 60/40 when he reached the emergency department. That is a frightening reading under any circumstances. The medical team quickly moved to identify what was happening.
Sepsis moves fast and rarely gives second chances in the high-stress world of college coaching. In 2017, Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe faced a similar brush with death when an untreated infection triggered sepsis and pushed his temperature past 106 degrees before emergency care saved him.
Dr. Hollis “Bud” O’Neal, one of the physicians involved in his treatment, explained how quickly the hospital staff acted.
“The actions of the emergency department, what they did, getting him on the right track early in the course of his illness really saved his life,” he said.
Testing confirmed sepsis, allowing doctors to begin treatment without losing valuable time. Dr. Michael “Trey” Conners III also described how the hospital’s emergency protocols help identify the condition as soon as patients arrive.
A key part of Ed Orgeron’s diagnosis was IntelliSep, a rapid sepsis detection test developed through a partnership involving LSU, Our Lady of the Lake, and biotechnology company Cytovale. The technology uses a blood sample to check how white blood cells react. Doctors can get results in under 10 minutes, giving them an early warning of sepsis. That speed helped Coach O’s medical team act quickly.
O’Neal, who helped develop the test, was among the doctors treating him, alongside Dr. Catherine O’Neal, Dr. Conners, Dr. Gremillion and Dr. Shoenfelt. Ed Orgeron spent seven days in intensive care and 18 days in the hospital altogether. He left 28 pounds heavier from fluid buildup, with a badly swollen leg.
“I remember waking up the next day, Dr. Bud was there, Dr. Katie, Dr. Grammy. I mean, I had a team of doctors,” he said.
Ed Orgeron credited the hospital staff with getting him through the ordeal, describing the doctors and personnel as family. He also made it clear that their work gave him another opportunity to return to football.
“Before you know it, I got back on the road to recovery,” he added. “I’ve been able to be with the team, and I’ll be able to coach and doing the things that I want to do.”
There was another thought that stuck with him. What if Dwike hadn’t found him when he did?
“And if I was late, none of this would be happening,” he said.
Ed Orgeron was fortunate to have someone recognize that he needed help and a medical team ready to act. His football career gave him plenty of reasons to appreciate a good team. This time, one helped keep him alive.