“Alfie was aged 2 years 10 months when he became ill in November 2014.
“He started being sick on the Wednesday night. We took him to the out of hours doctor, who said it was a virus. He was up and down all night being sick and eventually went to sleep at about 5am. I checked on him a couple of hours later and he was unresponsive and had a rash.
“We rushed him to hospital where he was placed in a medical coma, but the disease proved too much and he passed away at tea time that same day, just 24 hours after first falling ill, with his dad and me by his side. It was so quick. He was my world.
Raising funds and awareness
Since Alfie’s death his parents have thrown themselves into fundraising and raising awareness. They organised a night of music and entertainment, as well as a raffle and auction, at the Royal British Legion Club in Cleveleys to remember Alfie and raise funds for us to help in our fight against the disease. Over 250 people went along to show their support and the evening raised over £11,000.
The fundraising evening was attended by our founder Steve Dayman, who had previously visited the family to offer support.
He said: “We’re really grateful to Joanne and David, their family and friends for their support, and thank them for everything they did and are doing to help us in our work. Events like this make a real difference to those who are at risk from meningitis and those whose lives have already been changed forever because of it. What happened to Alfie sadly illustrates how fast meningitis can strike, with few symptoms to distinguish it from more common illnesses”.
