Alongside our new awareness film for students, we have created three short films featuring young people, Becca, Leo and Ben, who contracted meningitis whilst at university.
Meningitis Now are grateful to have received a grant from GSK to fund these videos, although GSK have had no input into their content.
We have created new awareness videos for students at sixth form and university to raise awareness of the importance of acting fast if someone is ill and getting worse.
It is thanks to the quick thinking of friends at university that Becca, Leo and Ben are here to tell us their stories. If it wasn’t for timely emergency calls, the outcome of their stories would have been very different.
Becca’s story
After dinner with some friends, Becca got an early night. But she woke up to terrible vomiting, which got progressively worse.
Becca’s friend, Niamh, who was visiting, decided to call 111, who sent an ambulance. Just a few hours later, Becca was in intensive care in an induced coma. She had contracted meningococcal septicaemia.
Becca had to have both of her legs below and knee and fingers on both hands amputated and spent a total of four months in hospital.
Becca is training to be a doctor, and she has had a hand transplant that has been transformational – she can feel sensation in the hand transplant, like warmth, cold and some textures.
Watch the short film about her experience here.
Leo’s story
Leo was staying over at his girlfriend’s house when he realised he didn’t feel quite right. He went back to his own flat and quickly went downhill. He had a severe headache that was only getting worse.
Leo’s girlfriend later told him that he had started to send completely illegible texts and, when she decided to phone him, she could barely understand him. She told Leo she was coming over, and she also called an ambulance.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Leo had passed out and was tachycardic. He was rushed to hospital and a lumbar puncture confirmed bacterial meningitis. The doctors told him that he arrived at hospital just in time.
Watch Leo’s full story here.
Ben’s story
Ben was in his first term of university when, after a night out with friends, he thought he was suffering from a hangover.
It wasn’t until his flatmates found Ben on his bedroom floor that anyone realised how poorly he was. They called an ambulance and, when Ben couldn’t tell the paramedics his own name, he was blue-lighted to the nearest hospital.
Initially Ben was put on a drip, assumed to be drunk. A consultant soon realised that he was actually in major distress. His brain had started to swell and was pushing on his spinal cord.
If Ben’s flatmates hadn’t realised that something was wrong and called for help, it’s very likely that Ben wouldn’t be here today.
You can watch his story here.
Find out more about the signs and symptoms of meningitis, and if you are from a university, are a parent of a young person or you are a student getting ready for university please download our digital student pack here.
