Bachteler had to relearn how to walk and put her coaching career on hold before Burnley welcomed her back in July as manager of the women’s team.
She has not fully recovered from sepsis and continues to experience post-sepsis syndrome, including dizziness and severe fatigue.
She fell ill during a pre-season friendly a few weeks ago as extreme heat affected those on the touchline.
“It was so hot with the sun facing the bench. I got up in the second half and it was like when you have too much wine, you get up and you’re like, ‘woah!’
“I was just so dizzy. I gave the instruction, talked to the team and then I went to the cafe on site and said to them: ‘Can I sit in your freezer?’
“I just needed to calm down. Then I started crying because my nervous system is still recovering and it’s just been really, really hard.”
Bachteler credited Burnley’s medical staff, saying the club doctors “saved her life” and connected her with a respiratory specialist.
Players have also sent her messages of support, while she has been able to share responsibilities with a coaching staff she describes as “phenomenal”.
Her family has supported her throughout her recovery, although she admits the experience has been mentally difficult.
Bachteler recalls a day in May when her parents visited from the United States and she had to leave a restaurant because she was overcome by dizziness.
“We went for Sunday dinner and it was loud. I just got so dizzy and they could see it. As we were walking back, I was shaking and I didn’t know where I was,” she said.
“They started crying, both of them. I think it was even harder for them. I get emotional any time I talk about my family with this.
“When my wife was able to see me [in hospital], she just started crying because of the amount of weight I lost.
“I’m really athletic and I’m really fit, but then I wasn’t able to walk. She had to hold me up going down the stairs.”
Bachteler continues to undergo respiratory therapy to improve her lung function.
She still struggles with exhaustion, mental fog, memory problems and tremors when she becomes overly tired, alongside recurring dizzy spells.
Despite the setbacks, she says she is recovering and estimates that she has regained 70–80% of her previous fitness and wellbeing, crediting Burnley, its doctors and the NHS.
She said her recovery nearly took a different turn when emergency-room staff initially tried to send her home: “If I had gone home that day, I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”