His mother, Hayley, of Glossop, tells us how her brave baby battled meningitis.
“At just six weeks old, Harley contracted pneumococcal meningitis. He had his milk as normal in the morning and I didn’t suspect anything.
As the morning went on, Harley became floppy, grey, his eyes sank and his fontanelle bulged. I rang my sister to come and she rang our GP, who said ring 999.
Harley went to our local hospital Tameside General, where they did blood tests the doctor rang Royal Manchester’s Children’s ICU.
Harley suffered two cardiac arrests due to fluid around his heart. After MRI scans and many other tests, we were taken into a room and told meningitis had caused 65 per cent brain damage.
We were told that Harley would be unable to do anything himself. Harley will be five on 16th July 2015. He can’t walk; he can only say a few words and can’t feed himself apart from finger food.
He’s doubly incontinent, but his smile melts your heart and he’s such a happy little boy.”