Two years ago in October 2016, my three week old daughter, Francesca, was admitted to hospital via ambulance with mottled skin and an abnormally high temperature.  After a lumbar puncture (which I was not allowed to be present for) and various other tests, the results came back that she had viral Meningitis.  A word that no parent ever wants to hear.  The only symptom she had was a high temperature, she was feeding normally, sleeping normally, alert as normal, and most importantly - no non-blanching rash that is famously associated with meningitis.  It was only the quick thinking of my husband, Spencer,  and I deciding that she must go to hospital to be checked out.

We were lucky - Francesca was only in hospital for three days, and has made a full recovery - she is now a beautiful, lively and spectacularly happy little two year old girl - the light and sparkle of her older sister Lillie's life.  

On May 27th 2019 I am running the Vitality London 10,000 on behalf of Meningitis Now to raise awareness about the possible lack of symptoms when it comes to this dreadful illness.  Everyone is aware of the rash, but there are other signs too - we only had the high temperature and nothing else.  Think on your feet and trust your instincts - if you feel for a second that something is not right then act on it immediately.

Please sponsor me so we can help other people deal with this horrible illness, to give them the help and support they need.

Our vision is a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives.