Meningitis stories

Having been told she had heatstroke, Tilly was eventually diagnosed with viral meningitis. She tells us what happened next

Jess and Becca lost their mum Amanda on 7 April 2018. This Mothers’ Day they’ve left a dedication to remember their mum

Janice can’t remember much of her quick decline into severe illness before an eventual meningitis diagnosis

Diana contracted meningococcal meningitis in her mid 20s, leading to lower leg amputations of both legs and all the fingers on her right hand

Amanda contracted viral meningitis and ended up spending Christmas day just gone in hospital, she tells her own story

John very sadly lost Bella but he has kindly shared his story with the hope of raising awareness of meningitis and the possible outcomes of contracting it

In the middle of the covid pandemic, 19-year-old Alice became ill and increasingly worse, fortunately the intervention of friends and family meant that an ambulance was called.

Helen had viral meningitis and was in hospital for two weeks, it has left her to this day with after-effects

Annette lost her 17-year-old son Daniel to meningococcal septicaemia in February 2016 and life will never be the same again

Holly from Weston super Mare in Somerset, went to hospital, where she spent a month while doctors investigated her meningitis

Ben was a drama student when he became ill with what he thought was the start of a nasty cold. He quickly deteriorated, and woke up in hospital with a diagnosis of bacterial meningococcal meningitis

Sarah thought she had a migraine, but as tests showed the 26-year-old midwife had contracted meningococcal meningitis

Now 39, Stacey was diagnosed with viral meningitis at 18 after her mum rushed her to A&E with a severe headache, sickness and aching all over her body

Kerri has had viral meningitis three times now, and is learning to live with the after-effects - both on her and her family

Ashley fell ill with viral meningitis about a year ago - a time that left her feeling incredibly alone as doctors weren't able to give her much information about what was happening to her

After viral meningitis left her housebound and dependent on a wheelchair, Kiri is keen for more resources to go into understanding and treating post-viral after-effects

Having recently returned home from hospital, Sammi is keen to raise awareness of bacterial meningitis and how a rash doesn't always appear

24 year-old Charlotte still suffers with after-effects of exhaustion nearly a year after being diagnosed with viral meningitis, which caused her to feel the most ill that she'd ever felt

With support from Believe & Achieve, Rachel has a renewed sense of determination and confidence, after struggling with long-term after-effects of viral meningitis since 2017

Ben contracted bacterial meningitis when he was 15. Fortunately, he received medical care quickly as his condition deteriorated and he continues to recover well