The impact of the dreaded ‘M’
If someone in your family or a friend has had meningitis, you’ll know that it affects those closest to them, more than you think possible
It strikes quicker than Wayne Rooney taking a penalty and can turn lives upside down. It can also have lifelong implications, changing the future you may have once taken for granted.
Did you know – 79% of friends and family said the experience had impacted their mental health?
Just because you weren’t the one fighting for your life in a hospital bed, it doesn’t mean you won’t feel the effects of the disease. It is normal to feel anxious, fearful or angry – in fact, friends and family are more likely to say the experience has affected them emotionally than those fighting the disease. After all, you have seen first-hand just what it can do.
“Any time a loved one or I ever get even a cough I can feel anxiety sweep over me.”
Bereaved friend of a meningitis sufferer
You might be left with a head full of questions, like how can you protect yourself? Who can get vaccinated? How can my family be protected? If I’ve been ‘exposed’ to someone with the disease, will I get it? There is no such thing as a stupid question and we are here to answer any you may have. Don’t suffer in silence.
Has meningitis affected you?
If someone you love has been affected, whether its a friend of family member, we'd like to know how it made you feel and how it changed your life.