James Hunter Stitt

I was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis about a week after the onset of symptoms. I was told that my negative COVID tests were false negatives and I should only go to the hospital if I could not breathe. My fever was 107 degrees Fahrenheit and above for an entire week. I was covered in blisters and could not move my body or open my eyes. I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. At the hospital, there was no room because of the COVID patients. I received no treatment, no food, no water, and no blanket. I discharged myself because no one brought me food or water or checked on me for over twelve hours. When I got home, I knew I was about to die. The hospital eventually called me when my blood results came back with Neisseria meningitidis. I went back to the hospital, still with no bed, minimal food, and occasional water/IV saline. I recovered from the illness but I have many after-effects like hearing loss, constant fatigue, frequent headaches, memory loss (long- and short-term), brain fog, loss of coordination, and skin scarring. I want to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and the availability of both MenB and MenACWY vaccines and the importance of getting both.