<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p> <p>I am raising money for The Meningitis Trust in memory of my mother, Chris Saltmarshe. She contracted pneumococcal meningitis twice, the first time in 1998 when she was unconscious for two weeks and spent a month in hospital. She made a full recovery that time but lived in fear of catching it again. Unfortunately her fears came true in March 2009 when she caught the same disease again, that time she was left brain damaged and totally reliant on nursing care. She lived on for nearly eighteen months but was never the same person again. My wife and I took on the care of my profoundly disabled sister Annabel, who my mother was carer for. She died of pneumonia one month after my mother died.</p> <p>Throughout this time, The Meningitis Trust were there for us. There is always someone there to talk to on the telephone, they sent a counsellor who helped keep our family together. They provide information, resources and financial help to those who need it.</p> <p>Any donation, no matter how small, will go a long way to helping people and families whose lives have been affected by this terrible disease.</p> <p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p> <p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p>