He had contracted pneumococcal meningitis and septicaemia but, thanks to quick treatment from the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the youngster’s gone on to make a good recovery. Kim and Adam, from Oxted in Surrey, tells their story here.
“Robert hadn’t been well for a week or two. He seemed generally run down with a cough and cold but as it was winter we didn’t think much of it. He was almost 8 months old and babies often have runny noses.
“Then one morning he didn’t wake up at his usual time. When we checked on him it was hard to wake him up. He was so dopey and just wanted to sleep. He looked very pale. When we checked his temperature it was over 41c.
Didn’t think it was meningitis
“We called 111 as it was the weekend and went in to hospital. His cousin had contracted meningitis less than a year before so we knew about it more than most people but didn’t actually think that’s what he had. We still thought it might be a bad infection or pneumonia until we just couldn’t wake him up at all for any more checks at hospital.
“A couple of hours later we were in ICU being told our baby had pneumococcal meningitis and septicaemia and needed to be constantly monitored throughout the night. The Royal Berkshire Hospital was amazing and we still hold that if they hadn’t acted so quickly with Robert things could be very different.
Amazing recovery
“He made an amazing recovery - even the medical team couldn’t believe that a few days after carrying him in almost unresponsive he sat up and demanded food! He still has regular hearing tests to see if there is any long-term damage but today he seems like the most happy, cheeky, larger-than-life character you’ve ever met. He’s just awesome and I know we are very lucky to have him.”
