“Sunday 21st June (Father’s Day) 2015 started out like any other normal day.
"My family and I went out visiting other family members as it was Father's Day. By lunchtime I started to get a headache, which quickly doubled up with severe earache.
“I'd had mild earache earlier in the week but it cleared up after a few hours, and I thought no more about it.
“As the day went on the pain intensified, and painkillers were not helping. I don't remember a lot of the evening. My husband got me and the kids back home and I went to bed.
Began hallucinating
“By 1am I was in agony, felt incredibly nauseous and began hallucinating. A few minutes later I had a seizure.
“My husband called an ambulance and I was rushed to hospital. After various tests (CT scan, MRI scan and lumbar puncture) it was revealed I had a brain abscess and bacterial meningitis.
“Literally within hours I went from feeling fine, to being deathly poorly. It took 13 weeks of IV antibiotics before I was given the all clear.
“I had no idea that people my age suffered with meningitis, and more needs to be done to raise awareness.
“Meningitis Now kindly donated a cheque to me to cover the travel costs back and fourth to hospital. They were a huge help financially, and also mentally as their kind staff members have offered their help by keeping in touch by phone and emails.”
