Alison Tolfree

In memory of our wonderful son Adam Tolfree

Fundraising for Meningitis Research Foundation
£18,157
raised of £1,000 target
by 327 supporters
Event: In memory of Adam Tolfree
In memory of Adam Tolfree
Meningitis Research Foundation

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RCN England 1091105,SC037586, Ireland CHY 12030
We fund research and raise awareness to create a world free from meningitis

Story

Adam came into the world on 2nd April 2000.  We were so happy to have a son and a brother for his older sister Gemma.  Our family was now complete.

Having lived overseas in Zambia and the USA, we all returned
to Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire to live in the summer of 2007. 
Adam and his sister Gemma both attended Bassingbourn Primary school and then Bassingbourn Village College.  Adam did well in his GCSEs and went on to study A-levels at Long Road Sixth Form
College in Cambridge.

On the morning of Saturday 7th January 2017, Adam woke up with a severe headache and was sick several times. There were no other symptoms and it appeared that he had a nasty bug.  We gave him paracetamol and he went back to sleep.  It wasn’t until much later in the
day that the first signs of a rash appeared on Adam’s body.  We immediately drove him to Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge where the A&E staff dropped everything to attend to him.  They immediately gave antiobiotics to Adam via a drip and tried to make him as comfortable as possible.  We continually reassured Adam that he was in
the best hands and that he would soon be feeling better.  When he began to feel more uncomfortable it was agreed that he should be given a general anaesthetic.  We kissed Adam, told him we loved him and
that we would be there in the ward with him when he woke up.

But Adam didn’t wake up.  The Meningitis bacteria had taken over his body and his organs failed.  He died at 7.15pm that evening.

Adam is so desperately missed by everyone who knew him.  Not only was he the most loving, kind and wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin, he was a great friend to so many.  He was generous, good hearted and someone who made a big difference to people's lives by being there for them when they needed him.

Adam’s vaccination record was fully up to date, including the Meningitis ACWY jab in March last year.  We later discovered that a Meningitis B vaccination is available, but only privately.  It is currently only given on the NHS to babies born on or after 1st July 2015, despite the second highest ‘at risk’ group being teenagers

We are now doing everything we can to raise awareness of the
symptoms of Meningitis and encouraging everyone to vaccinate their children.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

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Alison, Mark & Gemma Tolfree

About the charity

Meningitis Research Foundation

Verified by JustGiving

RCN England 1091105,SC037586, Ireland CHY 12030
Meningitis is deadly; killing and seriously disabling in hours. Small children and young adults are high risk, but all ages can be affected. Globally 1,000 people die daily. We fundraise to invest in research, campaign for vaccines, provide symptom information and support those already affected.

Donation summary

Total raised
£18,156.96
+ £1,689.68 Gift Aid
Online donations
£18,156.96
Offline donations
£0.00

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