In 2019, I had my first experience with meningitis. It started with a terrible headache and a fever at night. I vomited at 3 am and felt really ill. My wife noticed that something was wrong and took me quickly to the emergency room (ER), where I received a very accurate and timely diagnosis: bacterial meningitis, pneumococcus. I stayed in the intensive care unit (ICU) for a few days but managed to recover, with only temporary effects on my vision.
The doctors said that my physical condition had greatly helped my recovery; it was clear I was a runner, and my body had done everything for an optimal recovery. I felt very grateful and motivated. A couple of months later, I did the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and afterwards, I trained to run the Berlin Marathon in 2021 and the New York Marathon in 2022.
But in December of the same year, 2022, I was on vacation visiting family in the US when suddenly, at midnight, I developed a terrible headache and a fever of 40ºC. My wife told me I looked exactly like the first time, so they took me to the ER. At first, they didn’t check me in because they said I didn’t look that bad. My sister and brother-in-law insisted, and they finally admitted me. Soon, neurological symptoms started, and I was unable to speak. They ran some tests and finally diagnosed me with bacterial meningitis again.
I missed my second daughter’s first birthday, but I returned to her the next day. Since it was my second meningitis, the doctors said it was uncommon, so they ran all kinds of tests - MRI, CT scan, heart checks, HIV tests—but they couldn’t find anything.
I went back to Mexico so my doctor could review all the results. Nothing came up. After everything, they concluded it was probably very bad luck. They gave me an extensive vaccination program, and that was it. Back home, I noticed partial facial paralysis, but I went to physical therapy and had a successful recovery.
The third time I had meningitis was both the worst and the best. I am from a small city called Coatzacoalcos, in Veracruz, a southern state in Mexico. It was Christmas week, and we were visiting my mom for the holidays. She has a bakery, so I went to help her the day before Christmas because it is a very busy day. I also went to her house to prepare for Christmas Eve dinner. Both my daughters were very excited, but I had a terrible headache. I thought it was the heat and decided to take a nap before dinner.
My wife wanted to check my temperature, which was normal at the time, but she had a bad feeling because I was pressing my head with my hand, just like the last two times. We all thought it was due to previous trauma. The headache didn’t go away, so she contacted her cousin Silvia, who is a doctor and a friend of Dr. Javier Villagroy, my infectologist. Silvia told my wife to contact him immediately—“better safe than sorry.” He advised her to stay alert. When my temperature started rising and neurological symptoms appeared, I stopped being able to talk and experienced projectile vomiting.
The decision was clear: I had to be taken to Mexico City to access a good hospital and my doctor. Both Silvia and Javier arranged an air ambulance to take me from Coatzacoalcos, but it couldn’t land until morning. My wife asked the doctor which antibiotics she should get for me. She gave me two shots of antibiotics and dexamethasone, eight hours apart. The air ambulance finally arrived on Christmas Day. By the time I reached the hospital, the medication had worked, and I could speak again.
My doctor was very concerned and initially thought I might have a rare autoimmune disease. They repeated all the tests from the previous year. Finally, a very specific test revealed a 1cm hole at the base of my cranium. They said it was possibly smaller before but had enlarged with each meningitis episode. I had surgery one month later to reconstruct the base of my cranium, and I have been okay ever since.
After that, we noticed some memory loss. I had a follow-up with a neurologist, who said this was expected. However, my memory function was generally fine, and I could retain new information. Recovery after the third meningitis and surgery was more challenging, but I prepared myself to run the Tokyo Marathon this year.
I have read other stories and am more amazed and thankful than ever to be so well after everything that happened. I feel responsible for raising awareness so others can receive timely care like I did.
