"I have raised over £25k, but it's the awareness that really matters to me.”
Thank you, Laura, for sharing your story, and to everyone who took part in our Squats Save Lives challenge in January. 131 people fundraised a massive £17,800 to help ensure no one loses their life to meningitis.
Laura says, “My husband Euan contracted meningitis in May 2016. We initially thought it was a cold as it presented as a fuzzy head and sore sinuses. He spoke to a nurse. She confirmed our thoughts, recommending some over-the-counter medicine.
“The following day Euan also had earache – again, akin to a cold-type virus. He spoke to a nurse again and was informed that they don't see patients for earache until they have had the pain for at least two days. Euan didn't meet this criteria, so continued with over-the-counter medication.
“He went to bed early on the Wednesday night and slept in the spare room as he didn't want to pass his 'cold' onto me. When I woke up on the Thursday morning, I lifted our then 1-year-old son from his cot and went to see how Euan was feeling.
“He was on the floor having what I can only describe as a seizure. He wasn't able to communicate with me and was obviously in pain.
Immediately called an ambulance
“I immediately called an ambulance and my parents. The ambulance arrived within 15 minutes, although it felt like an eternity. When the paramedics arrived, they took his temperature, which was over 40 degrees. They explained that would be contributing to his current state.
“They took Euan out of the house and I remember taking my son into our bedroom, thinking that I didn't want him to see his dad being taken out of the house for the last time like that – I just knew it was bad.
“My son went to my parents’ house, and I made my way to hospital. As soon as I arrived, I was ushered from the general waiting room into one of the private rooms. I was asked a lot of questions about how he had been feeling recently and what had been happening regarding his health. They then recommended I ask someone to be with me at the hospital – the bad signs were continuing.
Various tests were conducted
“Various tests were conducted but nothing was found. They were giving Euan lots of antibiotics because they knew there was an infection, but they couldn't initially tell where it was.
“He was transferred to ICU and put on a ventilator. They were doing regular tests to ascertain if there was brain activity, but sadly they were all negative.
“The healthcare staff were amazing, and kept me fully updated, although unfortunately there wasn't much progress for them to tell me about. I had already prepared Euan's family for the worst news, but we were all very much staying positive and believing his would be one of the miracle stories.
“On the Friday, one of the doctors came into the family room and told me that Euan was going to die. It was very factual but, as I was a police officer at that time, I understood and appreciated why it was said like that.
“They had conducted enough tests and consulted enough of the country's leading experts to know what was going to be the outcome.
Remainder of that day is a blur
“The remainder of that day is a blur, with friends and family arriving to support us. Euan's parents were travelling to be with us but weren't arriving until the weekend. The doctors agreed that he could remain on the ventilator until his parents arrived and I spent some time with him.
“Euan's parents arrived on the Saturday. Ironically, it was the day of his surprise 40th birthday party, meaning a few of his friends and family who lived further afield were in Glasgow anyway. He was taken off the ventilator and passed away a short time later.
“Everyone who heard our story was so surprised that meningitis was cited as the cause, as they assumed 'that only happens to children'. That's what made me determined to create awareness and change that belief.
“I've done a number of fundraising events on behalf of Meningitis Now since then, including a tea party, a casino night, a ‘cocktail for a cause’ night, and trekking the Great Wall of China with my amazing family and friends. I have raised over £25k, but it's the awareness that really matters to me.”
