Meningitis stories

Suzi had heard of meningitis - but hadn't realised that there was a viral form of the disease, until baby daughter Harriet was diagnosed at 11 weeks old

Dexter - shown here with cousin Maisie and sister Tilly - had lost a lot of weight in the three weeks since his birth. A random urine sample showed he was suffering from E. coli bacterial meningitis

Premature baby Hannah was nine days old when she contracted bacterial meningitis, leaving her with developmental delays and visual impairments

Demi, from County Tyrone, was worried about her baby Harley's temperature and agitation. Her GP initially told her to keep an eye on him, but doctors at A&E instantly recognised symptoms of meningitis

Melissa and Steve's daughter Indie was born premature, and despite her feeling cold they were told not to worry. But, she rapidly deteriorated and died of Group B strep just 10 days after birth

As baby Connor was being treated for viral meningitis, mum Claire was told that if she hadn't brought him to hospital when she did then things would have been a lot worse

During a routine check-up for her 7-week old baby Sienna, Sabrina mentioned that she'd had a bad night and high temperature. Within hours, Sienna was being treated for meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia

Rhys is a "healthy, sociable 19-year-old" - but after contracting pneumococcal meningitis as a baby, the outcome could have been very different, as mum Emma tells us

Our Community Ambassador Ian shares the devastating story of losing his grandson Charlie to pneumococcal meningitis

Since contracting pneumococcal meningitis as a baby, Sophia has been left with complex and life-long after-effects; but as mum Joanna explains, these do not define her

Chris was forced to resuscitate his four-day-old daughter Skye when she stopped breathing while feeding and went limp. Mum Sophie shares their story

Baby Ellie was originally placed on a Covid ward when she was rushed to hospital on Father's Day last year, but by midnight she was being treated for meningitis

Hours after Abigail's arrival into the world, she was rushed back into hospital when she started to jerk her head and make strange noises

When Virginia's son Jamie became unwell in 1988, doctors missed the signs of meningitis. As he deteriorated, he was rushed to hospital, but tragically passed away

Parents Emily and Adam were told to expect the worst when baby George developed complications after a diagnosis of viral meningitis

Mum Beverley was identified as Strep B positive while pregnant, but a few weeks after baby Asher was born he started showing signs of Group B Strep meningitis

Hazel was only a few weeks old when she was diagnosed with Group B Strep. Now 25, she has had a number of brain surgeries to alleviate pressure on her brain

Tests revealed that Jamielee's baby boy Leon was suffering from meningococcal type Y, which has left him with complex after-effects; but she is so glad that she was able to bring him home

Now in her teens, Eleanor discovered that she had suffered with viral meningitis when she was hospitalised as a baby. But she is determined that her after-effects won't hold her back

After watching her oldest son battle meningitis, Holly couldn't believe that history was repeating itself two years later when baby Jasper became ill