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“The lumbar puncture results are back. Your son has pneumococcal meningitis and septicaemia. He is very poorly and needs intensive care. We have no paediatric intensive care here in Shrewsbury so we have contacted Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent to see who might be able to retrieve him.”

Everyone has good days and bad days … sometimes in this family we find ourselves wistfully thinking about what could have been; but on many more days we are fuelled not only by the basic spirit that drives everyone to get on with playing the cards they are dealt, but also by the privilege that is... living life with Ato and living life for Ato.

Ato, a healthy 8-month-old baby, with what appeared to be a simple summer cold, had his world turned upside down on 1st August 2000 when he suffered a respiratory arrest and we heard the awful words above. Ato was then retrieved by a team from Stoke-on-Trent, led by Dr Andy Magnay. He was put into an induced coma having been diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis and septicaemia. It was touch and go in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at North Staffordshire Hospital for three and a half weeks whilst he FOUGHT for his life.

He survived the immediate crisis but his life had now taken an unexpected turn. We were shown the last scan taken just before he was brought out of his coma. Five areas of his brain had been seriously damaged by the pneumococcus bug, and on his discharge from hospital, we were not given a prognosis but advised to “follow his lead”.

25 years on Ato lives with severe learning disabilities, autism and epilepsy. However, he brings such joy to us as a family – the giggles are unparalleled and the cuddles, when offered, are the best. There have been some major challenges along the way and we know there are more to come. We do, however, continue to feel very blessed as a family – to have Ato and all the love and learning that has come with caring for and advocating for him.

Please join us in raising funds to support the work of Meningitis Now – the charity that has supported our family in navigating life with our child who sustained a severe brain injury from meningitis.

Meningitis Now is the first meningitis patient group in the world, founders of the meningitis movement and the only charity dedicated to fighting meningitis in the UK. Over their 30 year history, they have invested over £12.7m in early stage research that has played a critical part in the introduction of five life-saving vaccines.

Meningitis Now is committed to saving lives, rebuilding futures and continuing to make a difference in the fight against meningitis.

https://www.meningitisnow.org/who-we-are/our-vision-and-mission/

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