Meningitis stories

Rebecca had been feeling under the weather for a while, but when she became dizzy and confused, with blinding headaches, she was sent straight to hospital

Chloe had been feeling under the weather, but when her condition worsened it became obvious to mum Rebecca that something was seriously wrong

When Alice felt unwell at work she thought she was coming down with a bug, but quickly found herself deteriorating as viral meningitis took a hold

Freya contracted bacterial meningitis (Men B) in 2016, she recovered well but did suffer some significant after-effects.

Jenny contracted viral meningitis at age 26. Jenny had a very traumatic time undergoing nine lumber punctures in an attempt to find out whether she was suffering from bacterial or viral meningitis.

When Chloe contracted meningitis at age 19, she came close to dying and lost her ability to see, hear and walk. Thankfully despite significant after-effects, she is making a good recovery.

Katie had been experiencing joint pain, but when she awoke with a searing headache she rushed straight to hospital; it was only later that more symptoms appeared

Mini was thousands of miles from home with she became ill

Tara is still suffering with the after-effects of bacterial meningitis eleven months after her diagnosis, but she is determined not to give up

After two weeks of illness, a migraine was the final straw that sent Tes to hospital, where a lumbar puncture confirmed viral meningitis. Tes shares her story

22-year-old Leanne was meant to be relaxing and spending time with her daughter during her maternity leave, until at 29 weeks, she became very unwell

Stephen's meningitis story began when a severe headache, lethargy, aching muscles and sensitivity to light struck in April and he knew something serious was wrong.

Jody was attending a friend's wedding when he experienced a severe headache; within a matter of hours his condition had worsened and he was rushed to hospital. Read Jody's story

Martyn had a very important question to ask girlfriend Dawn, but their joy quickly turned to fear as he became ill later that evening

Twenty-two-year-old Molly, from Bristol, thought she’d come down with a bad case of flu.

Arlene was pregnant when she was struck down with a severe headache, after investigation viral meningitis was confirmed.

Chloe, from Birmingham, is still struggling with the after-effects of viral meningitis two years after she first became ill.

After being struck by viral meningitis twice, Jenny is determined to turn her experience into something positive

Claire has been left with chronic after-effects of viral meningitis, but has found our support hugely helpful in coming to terms with the impact it's had on her life

Eleven years after losing mum Julie to bacterial meningitis, Rebecca shares the heart-breaking story of how her family's lives changed forever

Barry contracted Meningococcal meningitis in 2008. Sadly, he passed away just weeks before he was due to get married.

Newlyweds Michelle and Stuart were looking forward to spending their lives together, but then Stuart was rushed into hospital just before Christmas

Jo Haslam from Bury, Lancashire, contracted Meningococcal meningitis in January

I woke up in a room at the hospital being asked if I had rashes, which I didn’t. After the usual tests they advised me I may have meningitis

Headaches, seizures and drowsiness were the first signs that 24-year-old Emily was suffering from meningitis

24-year-old Ashley was on holiday when he became ill with bacterial meningitis. Fortunately, he got the treatment he needed to save his life but he has been left with after-effects

I pushed myself to do things with difficulty. Being such an active person it was difficult to be so inactive.

I went with my mother to see my GP when I was feeling sick. The doctor diagnosed a virus and sent me home to rest with no medication other than recommending paracetamol

Sheryl tragically lost her partner Stephen last year after he contracted meningococcal meningitis.

When Rachel became ill, her symptoms were similar to those she'd experienced years before. This time, however, she was diagnosed with viral meningitis.

When Helen was a teenager, her family were told to prepare for the worst when she was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia. 21 years on, she is taking on some of our most gruelling challenges

Theresa's mum Irene was 70 years old when she contracted meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia. Theresa recounts their story here.

Five years after contracting viral meningitis, feeling as recovered as I'll ever be, I'm delighted to be running the London Marathon

Rina and her husband Lee thought that she was just fighting a common cold, but her symptoms soon turned for the worse

I'm 37, healthy and this bug still got to me. Viral meningitis can hit anyone, any time.

Peter pulled through but has been left with lifelong after-effects. He tells his story as a meningitis survivor here

Meningitis laid Dave low two years ago, he’s taking on a professional wrestler to raise funds for Meningitis Now!

Teresa’s daughter Rosie contracted viral meningitis nearly two years ago and until a few weeks ago was still suffering chronic after-effects

Laura was 20 years old when she came down with what she thought was a bout of flu. Her symptoms continued to get worse until she lost consciousness and was diagnosed with meningitis

Jeanette, from Sandown in the Isle of Wight, contracted meningococcal septicaemia over 50 years ago when she was 23

Tests showed Emily had contracted viral meningitis. Mum Tracey tells their story

An ambulance was called and hospital doctors swiftly diagnosed Nicola with viral meningitis. The 33-year-old mum tells her story here

43 year old mum of one Linsay from Edinburgh, contracted meningitis last year. Here she recalls what happened and how she is learning to live with the after effects of meningitis.

Like many people who survive both the viral and bacterial forms of meningitis, Thomas wasn’t the same afterwards.

Cadey, from Blackpool in Lancashire, was training as a student nurse when she contracted viral meningitis in April, she tells her story here

Within two hours it had been confirmed that Cathy had bacterial meningitis

Thirty-year-old flight attendant Victoria, from Ilchester in Somerset, was struck down with viral meningitis last September.

Despite having had her Men ACWY vaccination, the 18-year-old had contracted meningococcal meningitis, read more here

A lumbar puncture confirmed meningitis and, for a while, her family thought they were going to lose her. She felt so too.

Claire, from Worksop in Nottinghamshire, fell ill when she was 18 in 1991. She initially had flu-like symptoms but when a ‘blood blister like rash’ appeared

Dance student Jessie has been struck down by viral meningitis twice since first contracting it in April 2015. She has been told she has Mollaret’s Meningitis, a recurring form of the disease, and lives under the shadow of it returning.

Nineteen-year-old Kieran, from Glasgow, fell ill with bacterial meningitis seven years ago. Extensive physio helped his recovery but his confidence had taken a knock and he suffered anxiety about returning to school.

Nicola’s dad Graham contracted meningitis and septicaemia in January 15 years ago. It left him with life-changing after-effects. She recounts their story here

Hayley, from Saltash in Cornwall, suffered unbearable headaches and specialists discovered a defect in the base of her skull, which explains why she was prone to meningitis. She tells her story here

It was the start of meningitis, but thankfully over time the 32-year-old from Leigh in Lancashire made a good recovery. She tells her story here

Bernadette was booked in for an elective c-section and her son Elijah arrived safe and well. But at the same time she became ill with a rare form of meningitis and has little recollection of his birth and the preceding weeks.

Nineteen-year-old Taylor, from Harlow in Essex, had a very bad headache, temperature and was vomiting and delusional. She had contracted bacterial meningitis. She tells her story here

Meningitis left Lucy with an acquired brain injury, completely wiping her memory. She was unable to remember her name or anything about herself, how to speak, eat or dress.

Anna’s Dad was active, fit and healthy before he was struck down suddenly by meningitis. Even now, she finds it difficult to believe he’s gone. She tells their story here

Myrian, 42, from London, felt ‘not quite right’ for a while before suddenly being struck with the most intense headache. She’d contracted viral meningitis and following what was, at times, a dark and frightening experience.

Karen, 35, from Hemlington, Middlesbrough, has fought back from a frightening and agonising meningitis experience and turned her life around

Scott had meningitis five times over a three-year period. Leighton has just completed the Northallerton 10K, raising a fantastic £200 towards our work

Psychology student, Abigail didn’t realise her sore throat and temperature were the start of her ordeal with meningitis

Apryl-Louise Middleton, of Gloucester, was celebrating Halloween with friends when she first noticed onset symptoms of meningitis

Meningitis has struck Helen’s family twice – once with devastating consequences when it took her sister Sarah’s life and then again last year when her baby daughter Lois contracted viral meningitis at just eight days old

In June 2015, 19-year-old Michaela set off for what she thought would be the summer of a lifetime, working on the little island of Zakynthos (Zante) in Greece

Lise, originally from Bexhill-on-Sea but now living in France, found our website a lifeline as she struggled to come to terms with meningitis and its aftermath

Lisa Johnson, 42, first contracted meningitis in 2004, and as well as suffering from its after-effects, the disease has re-occurred three more times

While on her travels in China, 23-year-old Georgia, of Hertfordshire, began suffering with on-going headaches, dizziness and a general feeling of 'un-wellness'

Andy was a fit and active 63-year-old from Ilkeston

Maureen’s best friend Jenna became ill and sadly died within two days from bacterial meningitis five years ago. There’s not a day that Maureen doesn’t miss her

Twenty-year-old Karina, from London contracted bacterial meningitis in October this year, suffering from severe headaches and high fevers. She was initially diagnosed with a viral infection and is still recovering from the after-effects of her illness.

Thirty-six-year-old Tracy, from Tipton in the West Midlands, collapsed with viral meningitis in January 2015. Now, 12 months on, she is still battling to come to terms with the impact it is having.

Thirty-five-year-old Lyndsay, from Selby in North Yorkshire, had no idea that adults could get meningitis, until she contracted the disease herself. Fortunately she has made a good recovery.

30-year-old Bronwyn, from Cambridge, contracted meningococcal septicaemia in 2002 as a teenager

When he received a phone call that his son had been rushed to hospital, Pastor Phillip Omodeni immediately returned from a holiday in Nigeria to be by his side

In February 2015, Charlotte Hannibal, now 19, had just returned to university after visiting her family when she suffered a number of flu-like symptoms

Anna Bradshaw, of Coalville, came face-to-face with death when she contracted meningococcal septicaemia and stopped breathing three times while in intensive care

18-year-old Ollie Towler Jones was enjoying one of his favourite events of the year when he was suddenly struck down by meningococcal group W (Men W)

Teygan Sugrue was embarking on a new adventure; making new friends and studying his favourite language, when he was cruelly struck down by meningitis

Kayleigh Duncan, 23, of Essex, was celebrating the birth of her baby sister, Rihanna, a time which should have bought joy and celebration to all her family

Nurse Elizabeth had what she thought was a bad migraine. But the 21-year-old had contracted meningitis and was found dead in the nurse’s home five days later. Father Mike tells her sad story

19-year-old Teaching Assistant, Emily Styles, had her whole life ahead of her when she was suddenly struck down with meningococcal meningitis on New Year’s Eve 2013

Charlotte Stuart, 20 of Tunbridge Wells, was 19 and studying Architecture at the University of Cambridge when she was diagnosed with meningococcal group W (Men W)

Vicky Ross, 32 of Renfrewshire, suffered many symptoms, including a high temperature, extreme dehydration, aching muscles and extreme fatigue, when she contracted viral meningitis in November 2014

Shaney Gardner, of Canvey Island, Essex, was 20 in October 2014 when she developed an extremely painful headache and chronic sickness. She had come down with viral meningitis

Sophie had never been to hospital and thought she was invincible, until meningitis laid her low last December

In 2010, Aaron, then 32, contracted bacterial meningitis

Following an emotional week commemorating the birthday of her late husband, 26-year-old Adrienne Quinnear feared for her life when she contracted bacterial meningitis and septicaemia

Emma, 35, from Luton was returning from a family break in Blackpool when she began to feel ill. Initially flu was suspected, but as a rash developed Emma realised she needed to get to hospital

Madison Coates fell ill with viral meningitis less than a year after launching her own business. The 25-year-old from Hemel Hempstead, who supported our Viral Meningitis Week this year, tells her story here

Sixteen-year-old Emily, from Exmouth in Devon, contracted a severe case of viral meningitis in February 2014

Sophie, 23, from Reigate in Surrey, counts herself as fortunate to be alive after contracting meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia

The first time Matt Barrow, from Perranporth in Cornwall, contracted meningitis he thought his symptoms were caused by the painkillers he was taking following dental treatment

It was a normal day in August 2011 and Keeley, then aged 24, had woken up feeling great. But, just hours later, she developed a severe headache and then collapsed. It was the start of a meningitis battle that continues to this day.

Top dancer Sean McCarthy, 30, from Tamworth in Warwickshire, was diagnosed with flu but got progressively worse, eventually ending up in hospital

Teenager Jade, from Sandhurst in Berkshire, had a horrible time with meningococcal meningitis, with the police being called when she was violent, even though she was unconscious

Tamily Butterton dismissed her severe headache, putting it down to too much sleep. But, in the middle of the night, her headache worsened and following advice from the out of hours doctor, Tamily called an ambulance.

In November 2011 Trevor Newsome, from Leeds, was 61 when he began suffering with what he thought was a migraine. When his symptoms got worse, he was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with viral meningitis.

Here Holly tells how both she and her daughter Brooke battled meningitis.

Kerry MacKinnon thought she was getting a migraine, but as her headache became worse it became clear that she was seriously ill. Here she explains how she survived meningitis.

Kelly’s illness started with a headache which became more and more severe. She developed a feeling of unease down the centre of her chest and stomach

When Steve Drew started suffering from an intense headache his doctor thought he was concussed after picking up a knock playing rugby. But Steve had contracted pneumococcal meningitis.

When Dave Hancock woke at 5am with a splitting headache he knew it was more than just a migraine. Taking a couple of painkillers he went back to bed and hoped the pain would stop

In December 2010, Bahman Jamalaldini thought he was coming down with a cold. On December 21 he went to bed early and in the early hours of the morning he was vomiting, had diarrhoea, he felt cold and had muscle and joint pain

Tureja Bibi was a busy mum-of-two, who worked at a private day nursery and enjoyed going out with her friends. Then in 2006, when she was just 28, Tureja contracted bacterial meningitis

In July 2012 Terri had viral meningitis and found it “one of the scariest and most surreal experiences” of her life; losing the use of her body and mind in 48 hours

Rebecca Williams fell ill with meningitis when she was 21 weeks pregnant, which initially caused confusion with doctors who thought she had a migraine.

In September 2012, Mark Shore, from Oswestry, began feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms. When his partner saw how ill he was, she made him to go to the doctors.

Gillian Redman was expecting her second child when she was struck down with meningitis. Here her parents Alice and Bryan Austin describe how the disease tragically robbed them of their daughter and granddaughter

Lisa Snowdon became a Celebrity Ambassador for Meningitis Now after experiencing the terror of meningitis herself, when she was struck down with viral meningitis in December 2010. The DJ and model had battled against her symptoms to continue with work com

David Fay had been suffering from flu-like symptoms before he was rushed to hospital at the end of April, 2010

Teacher Kevin Leaver died from meningococcal septicaemia just hours after being admitted to hospital. Here his wife Lesley tells his story

Wendy MacDonald, from Salisbury, was happily married to her husband Duncan for almost nine years when he started having flu-like symptoms in January 2012. Wendy could never have imagined the devastation that would follow.

Matt fell ill with meningococcal septicaemia at the age of 20. But the keen photographer fought back to overcome his after-effects of amputations and focus on a career in his chosen field

When Michelle Atkinson started feeling ill at work she thought it was probably flu. But the Bristol mother’s symptoms quickly worsened, leaving her life in danger

Amar, 25, from Luton, felt really cold and shaking and had a high temperature and sharp, painful headaches. He visited his local walk in centre, but then had to go straight to hospital, where he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

Chloe, 23, of Manchester, contracted viral meningitis in September 2012 when she was 21. Her symptoms included drowsiness, severe headache, stomach pains, sensitivity to sound and noise, a stiff neck and confusion.

The lack of understanding by some of the healthcare professionals she saw was really frustrating for Jane – one reason why she’s sharing her viral meningitis story.

Paul contracted viral meningitis the week before his 30th birthday. He suffered severe headaches, photophobia, sickness, a high temperature, fever, cold feet and aching and shivers. After several home visits by his GP and a call to Gdocs he was taken by a

Anthony Metcalf, 39, from Northumberland has had the awful luck to contract meningitis not once but three times – meningococcal once and pneumococcal twice – without ever having a rash! He tells his story here

In March 2013, 25 year old Emma Thompson from Paignton in Devon, began to feel unwell. She hadn't heard of viral meningitis before, but now she will never forget it.

Maz Nolan's partner Clare Streeter tells of how meningitis and septicaemia took Maz within hours. Now she wants to do all she can to raise awareness and tell people not to wait for a rash.

Before meningitis Andy, now 62, was a bar manager, working long hours but as a result of his illness he struggled to walk or even stand for any period of time and struggled to remember things.

In December 2012 Amanda-Jayne Buckland, 30 from Norfolk, began suffering from excruciating headaches. Days later, she woke up in hospital, blind and confused, to be told she had viral meningitis.

In October 2011, Katie Atkinson was working as a paramedic when she was diagnosed with viral meningitis. It left her with severe after-effects, which forced her to change the job she loved.

Rachel speaks about how unwell she felt at work, so instead of going home she checked into a hotel and was then rushed to hospital and, after treatment, discovered she was battling viral meningitis.

When Andrew Hession fell ill his family thought it was due to the diabetes he'd suffered from since he was a child. But the 21-year-old died within hours from meningitis.

Daniel tells about how he thought he had the flu, but was soon in hospital fighting meningococcal septicaemia, which means he now uses a wheelchair.

Amy Whittaker tells her story of meningitis, which saw her miss work and be in hospital for weeks as she recovered from the disease.

Daniel Halford was just 18 when he died from meningitis after complaining of a headache just hours before.

When Joanna Rigby fell ill at work she thought she was coming down with flu but her condition worsened and she was rushed to hospital with meningitis.

One evening in March 2010, Lynne Harding from Aldershot fell asleep after feeling unwell. She woke up four days later in hospital; she had contracted both pneumococcal and viral meningitis.

Gemma hit the headlines in July 2009 when she almost died from meningitis after doctors misdiagnosed it as swine flu. She faced a real battle to get the correct treatment. With a life-support machine keeping her alive.

Journalist Hazel Southam had recently returned from an assignment in Jordan in April 2009 when she started to feel ill with flu-like symptoms. Fellow correspondents had caught a similar bug, so for a week, she didn't worry about it. Then, within just a fe

Amy faced a frightening time when she was rushed to hospital with meningitis at the same time as her young son.

Life for the Friedli family changed dramatically in 2007 when dad, Andy, contracted viral meningitis. The pain and trauma was felt by the whole family – especially daughter Nicola, three, who was frightened her daddy may die.

On Boxing Day in 2006, Emma Howell, was suffering with a headache so severe, that she was taken to hospital by her worried parents. Emma, from Aberdare in Wales, was later diagnosed with meningoencephalitis HSV1; a form of viral meningitis.

Jonathan Davies, 50, was leading an active life, training for his first open water sea triathlon, when viral meningitis struck. He thought "I'll give it a couple of days and I’ll be back to normal." Not quite.

From the age of 14, Helen had always wanted to become a nursery nurse and worked hard to secure her qualifications. She qualified in January 2001 but in May of that year, Helen called her parents to say that she was feeling unwell.