“I had pneumococcal and meningococcal meningitis at 20 months old. I have been told I was very lucky to survive.
“I do not remember being ill but I remember loads of hospital appointments over the years, which I did not like.
“Many people who have meningitis are impacted for life. For me, I have no hearing on my left-hand side. I can often not hear people speak to me when there is noise in the background, which there always is - we don’t live in a quiet world, and I get a terrible buzzing in my ear. This means that I don’t hear conversations with friends at times and at school I find it hard to hear information and instructions, which I have got in trouble many times for.
“I used to fall over as a kid a lot, get moody and get lots of headaches and sometimes people struggle to understand me which is frustrating. Reading and writing takes longer too.
All understand each other
“I am now part of the Meningitis Now family and have been to many of their charitable events. We all understand each other and I have made great friends. Meningitis has affected us differently - some people are deaf while others have lost limbs. We don’t worry about the stories, we are all there to have fun."
“Meningitis Now is a charity that has helped me, they rely on fundraising, so I would like to give something back for all they have helped me with.”
