Meningitis stories

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

By her own admission young mum Kaytee didn't know much about meningitis, so when her son Ari became unwell she didn't think it could be the potentially life threatening disease. Kaytee shares their experience, urging other parents not to wait for a rash.

Angela's son Ashton was clingy, had a temperature and didn't want to lie flat - she had no idea these were the early symptoms of pneumococcal meningitis

Naomi Paterson’s son George was just 11 months only when he fought pneumococcal meningitis and septicaemia

Bristol mum Rachel was used to her young son Max having the sniffles, but she knew straight away when he came down with something more serious. She tells their story here

Baby Oliver’s pneumococcal meningitis was first diagnosed as just a Christmas cold. But mum Laura, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, persevered and eventually he was admitted to hospital. Despite being left with after-effects he is now a happy, funny and qui

Loving father and grandfather, Gaylord tragically died of pneumococcal meningitis and septicaemia in May.

In 2011 Clarissa’s daughter Aleisha contracted pneumococcal meningitis at 13-weeks-old, changing all their lives. As Clarissa puts it, ‘The unknown was about to hit us.’ She tells their story here

Seven-year-old Kieran, from Nottingham, had been ill for about two weeks with flu-like symptoms and vomiting before his pneumococcal meningitis was diagnosed and he was not expected to pull through

Mum Gabi, from Shoreham in West Sussex, talks about how she nearly lost her daughter Skye to pneumococcal meningitis

Hannah, from Chester le Street in County Durham, put her baby daughter Aubrey’s illness down to a tummy bug initially. But when her temperature shot up they rushed her straight to their GP who in turn sent her to hospital

One month before her first birthday Matilda had a high temperature, was off her food and seemed out of character

When Ashleigh Browes, 21 of Lincolnshire, was suffering with intense facial pain, discomfort and tiredness, she went to bed with the intention of visiting her doctor the next day

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

Kirsty’s baby daughter Charlotte, from Truro in Cornwall, was restless, vomiting and crying constantly

Within hours of wakening up, nine-month-old Finn Shillaker was lying lifeless on a hospital bed after contracting pneumococcal meningitis

Just days before contracting a disease that would rapidly take his life, three-year-old Joshua Bromwich was running around with his friends as normal

It was the morning of 26 August 2010 and baby Harley Jones drank his milk as normal, but, he soon became floppy and grey, with a bulging fontanelle and was staring with sunken eyes

Jackson fought with every inch of his being but, unfortunately, Jackson’s story doesn’t have a happy ending and he passed away in December 2009.

George Lane from Huddersfield is determined he won't live in fear of the potentially deadly brain bug meningitis which has attacked his body four times.

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.

In October 2012, five-week old Esmé woke up in the morning and was looking very poorly. Her worried mum, Amy, sensed something was seriously wrong, and rushed her to hospital.

Eliza brought tears to her consultants’ eyes when she walked out of hospital after battling pneumococcal meningitis. Her mum Pauline tells her story.

Thirteen-month-old Elise was suffering from sickness, fever and lethargy in March 2014 before pneumococcal meningitis was diagnosed.

Tracey’s 15-year-old daughter Sarah, from Skegness in Lincolnshire, had a headache for three days before she was admitted to hospital.

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.

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.

Little Amelia was five-months-old when she fell ill in February 2010. She had a high temperature and was vomiting her feeds but seemed happy in herself so we thought she was just teething. Her big brother Patrick, four, had been a bit sniffly too.

In April 2008, nine-month-old Paige was diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis, which she has thankfully overcome. Doctors said it was bad luck that she should fall so desperately ill as she'd had the pneumococcal vaccine. But her parents believe luck was

Rory fell ill with meningitis on November 25, 2007, and was fighting for life in hospital when he was also struck down with haemolytic-uremic syndrome - a rare but severe condition which causes kidney failure.

Ben Sillwood would be at senior school now, but sadly the youngster didn't live to see his second birthday after losing his battle against pneumococcal meningitis.