Baby Clara contracted pneumococcal meningitis and septicaemia and died in October 2010. Her legacy lives on today, as Clara’s Godmother April tells us.
“Clara initially had a temperature and a runny nose, which her parents initially thought was due to a new tooth. She began being sick and appeared very unwell so her family rushed her to the doctors, by which time she was looking vacant and flushed. Clara was initially misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis.
“Clara was admitted to York Hospital in case she was dehydrated and needed fluids, but Clara continued to be sick throughout the night and a blood test showed she had an infection.
“A senior paediatrician later assessed Clara and said she had meningitis. After a CT scan, Clara was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary. Later that night a doctor confirmed to Clara’s parents, Claire and Stef, that there was nothing more they could do for Clara and that she was brain dead.
Bolt of lightning
“Claire says that those words cut through her heart like a bolt of lightning.
“The hospital kept Clara on ventilators overnight whilst Claire held her. Claire prayed with the priest all night, asking for a miracle to allow Clara to have the life she so deserved and enjoyed.
“After a third opinion the following morning, and after watching her little body fight for 14 hours, Claire and Stef were given no option other than to hold her as tight as they could while her ventilator was taken away. Family and friends stood by helpless in the hospital room during what was the most devastating and heartbreaking of moments.
“After the ventilator was taken away Clara continued to fight in Claire’s arms until the very last heartbeat – the moment Claire wished hers would stop too.
Don’t wait for the rash
“Clara never developed the meningitis rash that so many people think they should be waiting for. Claire’s advice to everyone is:
““Please do not wait for the rash as it’s one of the last symptoms to appear. You know your child better than anyone. Parents need to be aware of all the symptoms and trust their instincts – they’re stronger than any qualification I’ve come across.””
Given Claire’s wish to raise awareness of not waiting for the rash, in 2018 Clara’s I organised a “Don’t Wait for the Rash – Dash” event in the local village in memory of Clara. A team of 48 local residents each ran 15 minutes on a treadmill clocking up a total of 12 hours.
“The fundraising came from supporters entering a ‘guess the distance’ competition aiming to get closest to the total distance the team would ‘dash’ in the 12 hours. All funds raised were donated to Meningitis Now.
“Meningitis Now were a huge support to Clara’s friends and family after Clara passed away. The event was a great success and gave me the motivation to take the idea of the event to the next level and raise even more awareness the following year.
“I came up with the idea of a ‘don’t wait for the rash – Splash’, given how many children are already involved in swimming lessons each week.
Splash Now Campaign
“I contacted the National Swimming Teacher’s Association, Turtle Tots and Meningitis Now. They all worked closely together to launch the national awareness and fundraising campaign ‘Splash Now’ in Clara’s memory in 2019 – the year Clara would have turned 10 years old.
“During October 2019 hundreds of children took part in ‘splash week’ as part of their swimming lessons, having lots of fun, increasing awareness of meningitis and raising vital funds to support the work of Meningitis Now.
“The event couldn’t take place in 2020 due to Covid but has continued to take place each year since, with Turtle Tots as the campaign partner.
“To date the Splash Now campaign has raised over £100,000 for Meningitis Now, which is way beyond any expectation we had from this campaign when it began back in 2019.
“Some incredible stories relating to those taking part who have been impacted by meningitis have been discovered along the way too.
2025 – A very special year
“Later this year Clara would have turned 16 – so in addition to the ‘Splash Now’ campaign with Turtle Tots again this year, we are also organising a very special event to celebrate 16 years of loving Clara.
“On Sunday 21st September at York Sport Village a team will swim 16km between us – 1km for each year Clara has been loved.
“Summaya Mughal, breakfast presenter for BBC Radio Nottingham, Olympics reporter and founder of the ‘Brown Gal Can't Swim’ BBC Sports podcast, will be joining in on the day to support the campaign.
“Those joining in, adults and children alike, can swim as many or as few lengths as they like – every length c
“There is no entry fee and no need for those taking part to raise sponsorship – this event is about raising awareness in Clara’s memory.”
