Mum Becki feared the worst but the battling youngster pulled through and now, over two years later, shows no signs of long-term after-effects. Becki tells their story here.
“Mia, our only child, was just three weeks old when she contracted meningitis. She didn't wake when she was due a feed, she wouldn't take her bottle and then she started making a grunting noise and wouldn't open her eyes.
“We took her to our local hospital, who thought it was just a tummy bug because she was sick. But they knew something wasn't right, so they sent her in an ambulance to a different hospital about 30 minutes away that specialises in children.
“On the way Mia started to go all floppy and developed a grey colouring in her skin. When we arrived at the hospital they sent her for obs, then onto a children's ward, where about seven doctors all rushed around her.
“She was rushed into the intensive care room and they were putting cannulas in her hands, taking bloods, putting her on antibiotics - she was deteriorating quickly.
It was so frightening
“We didn't know what to do; it was so frightening seeing our baby become so critical.
“The doctors knew she wasn't well, so called for a helicopter to come quickly, with staff who were higher up from a team called Embrace, who transport very critical babies.
“The doctors were flown over to get to Mia quickly and when they arrived they had to try and get her stable. They ended up putting her in an induced coma. Once they had done that they then sent her in another ambulance to Sheffield’s Children's Hospital.
“When she arrived there she was put on life support and all we could do was be by her side and hold her hand. There was me, my partner Dean Booth, my mum and dad and we didn't know what to do with ourselves. Mia was their first grandchild, so was very precious. It was very hard for us all to go through this.
“The doctors told us bad news after bad news. They told us she was getting worse, she had septicaemia and fluid on the brain, they thought if she pulled through she would be brain damaged.
Breathing on her own
“Four days on Mia started breathing on her own. She was pulling through. We took things day by day.
“They moved Mia onto a different ward, a step closer to home. She was doing really well. We never thought she would pull through though as the doctors told us it was very unlikely that she would.
“She had a few days on the NSU ward and then they transferred her back to the hospital closer to home. She was in Sheffield for two weeks and the hospital a week, so in total three weeks - the longest weeks of our lives.
“We were told we would have to keep a close eye on Mia’s development with her having this awful disease and fluid on the brain. She is now two-and-a-half and has shown no signs of any long-term effects - she's a very healthy, perfect little girl and we are so proud of her and so lucky that we still have her with us.
“On Sunday 25th October 2015 we held a Toddle Waddle for Meningitis Now. It was brilliant and it has made more people aware of the signs and symptoms and made them aware of how dangerous meningitis can be.”
