Laura urges everyone to learn the signs and symptoms in memory of her sister.
“My sister Michelle Rowntree contacted meningitis in 1996 - she was only 11 years old.
“She was playing in the garden and suddenly became poorly straight away, with lots of different symptoms. She was hot and cold, shivering with sickness, and burning up.
“There was so much pain in her eyes, and she was sensitive to lights. A rash appeared later that night.
“She was rushed to hospital in the early hours of the morning. They did not know what it was at first.
“They tried everything to save her life, but she died five times trying to fight meningitis. They did not have a cure for meningitis back as long ago as 1996.
“We know all the symptoms now.”
