He had bacterial meningitis but, after a struggle, he’s now managed to put his dancing shoes on again. He tells his story here
“I started off with a headache on the Thursday morning, which I thought must have been from my dance practice the night before. This got worse throughout the day. On the Friday I lost my appetite, but I still went to practise, thinking I’ll be fine. But I was trying to vomit even though I couldn't eat, so I headed back home.
I went to my local GP, who diagnosed it as ‘just flu’. Over the next 24 hours I got severely worse and became very weak. My fiancée took me to hospital, where they kept trying to diagnose what was wrong with me.
The headaches were incredibly painful and I have never felt anything like it. I was on a constant drip feed and other medication. Wednesday came and I had my lumbar puncture. I didn't feel anything during it as the pain in my head was worse than anything else and just took all the pain away. I remember vomiting and feeling very confused on the Wednesday night and I honestly thought I wouldn't wake up the next morning."
Nurses checking on me every day
“I eventually started to eat on the Friday and was checked out of hospital. But after that I didn't eat until the following Tuesday. I was on drip feed at home for two weeks with nurses checking on me every day.
I weighed myself two weeks after I was checked into hospital and I had lost two stones out of the original nine stones I usually weigh. Eventually I was getting better and I returned to work six weeks after being in hospital.
I competed again in a national dancing competition after eight weeks and my partner and I made the final, which neither of us ever had before! I was still half a stone off my usual weight.
Angela Cloke, Meningitis Now’s Community Ambassador in Warwickshire, was very supportive and gave me advice, which helped me and made me want to help others. I recently held a charity night of dance demonstrations, which has helped raise just over £2,700 for Meningitis Now.”
