Every year, we remember those who have lost their lives to meningitis by adorning our Tree of Remembrance with ribbon dedications from our supporters.
The Ribbon Appeal offers bereaved families, and all those who have experienced meningitis, a moment to remember loved ones by including a white ribbon on our Tree of Remembrance at our Gloucester Cathedral Christmas concert.
As part of our Ribbon Appeal this year, Clare and Alex share the story of losing their daughter Mia to meningitis on her 20th birthday in 2023.
They say: “This will be our third Christmas without our vibrant, funny and beautiful Mia. She died in our arms, just days after falling ill with a strain of meningitis we’d never even heard of, MenB.
Meningitis took our wonderful Mia from us
“She was such a happy baby and a joyful girl. A born performer, she was always singing, dancing and entertaining. She and her sister, Lily, would dress up in their favourite Disney princess outfits and stage concerts on the sofa.
“In 2022, aged 19, Mia made the bold decision to fly across the world to start a life in Dubai with her boyfriend, Sam. They came home for Christmas and spent the two weeks catching up with friends and family and doing all our usual family activities; Christmas trails, London lights and the crib service at church.
“Mia had been complaining of cold and flu-like symptoms. Everyone was feeling quite poorly, so we told her to wrap up, rest and take paracetamol.
“On the morning of January 2, Mia briefly got out of bed, saying, “Dadda, I really don’t feel well.” Her headache was worse, and she felt nauseous and was sick. Shortly after, Mia experienced her first seizure. We called an ambulance, which rushed us to our local A&E.
Mia never regained consciousness
“Mia was transferred to King’s College Hospital, and when we arrived there, she had already been assessed. That’s when we were given the devastating news that she had suffered a catastrophic brain injury from which she could not recover.
“We spent the next two days bringing family and close friends to say goodbye. It was during this time that MenB was confirmed, and our close family was treated with antibiotics.
“In the early hours of January 5, 2023, Mia’s 20th birthday, we held her as we said our goodbyes. Our family was irreparably broken that day, and every day since has been a struggle.
“But Meningitis Now have helped us to keep moving forward. They’ve just been amazing. They’re part of our family and have supported us through some really hard times. It’s good to find people who understand how you feel.
“There’s always someone at the end of the phone whenever we need it, and we know we’re not completely alone in all of this because of the family we’ve made through Meningitis Now.
Remembering Mia this Christmas
“We’ll be remembering Mia this Christmas with a ribbon on the Meningitis Now tree, and we invite you to dedicate a ribbon too, in memory of someone special, or in support of everyone affected by this devastating disease.”
In dedicating a ribbon to a loved one and making a vital donation in their honour, you can help ensure Meningitis Now can continue to be there for families like Mia’s facing life after meningitis.
Please request your ribbon and make your dedication by 25th November so the team at Meningitis Now can handwrite your message. You can also make a dedication to our virtual Ribbon Tree, which can be visited anytime.
We never forget the life-long impact on families who’ve lost loved ones and remembering the people lost to this terrible disease continues to be a very important aspect of our work.
Meningitis Now’s Christmas Concert takes place at Gloucester Cathedral on Wednesday 26 November. Tickets are available to buy via our concert webpage.
To donate to our Ribbon appeal please visit the Ribbon Appeal webpage.
