Meningitis B: 'I'm still the same inside' - United Kingdom

My mother still blames herself for not realising I was seriously ill when I came home from work that Friday night. I only vaguely remember it, but I know my symptoms weren't drastic enough to have alarmed anyone. I had been working behind the bar at a pub and suddenly started to feel very unwell. I was sick in the same way as if I had the flu or food poisoning. I drove myself home – I lived with my parents – and got into bed, thinking I would sleep it off. I don't remember the drive at all. I don't remember much from that week.

I have horses, so I was always up early to go see them and muck out. That morning, I wasn't. Mum came to check if I was all right, saw the characteristic rash on my arms and knew immediately that I had meningitis.

My parents took me to a local minor-injuries unit, where the ambulance met us. I was very lucky that there was a doctor there who knew to start getting me treated on the right antibiotics before I even got to accident and emergency. I spent 20 minutes in cardiac arrest, which could easily have led to brain damage.

I can't begin to imagine how worried my family must have been. I feel as if I knew what was happening because I've been told about it so many times – but I had no idea. Once I was over the cardiac-arrest stage, I was put in an induced coma for about three weeks to help my brain heal.

All my parents could do was sit and wait for my body to respond to the treatment. For a long time they lived in limbo, just waiting, not knowing if I would survive or which parts of my body would survive.

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Source: The Inderpendent