Hello all meningitis survivors.
We are special. We were given a second chance in life by our Creator. We have a purpose and mine is to help those who are struggling with the daily complicated challenges and to give hope. If I can, you can too.
The key is that you have to accept what has happened to you. You are going to have have to bury your old self. Have patience and accept the new you.
The new me includes: Memory loss, mood swings, impatience, depression, tiredness, inability to handle noise or crowds, feeling misunderstood and other daily challenges. I could go on and on.
In February 2018 I felt fluey. I am a chronic sinusitis sufferer and have had two functional endoscopic sinus surgeries (FESS), the last one being in 2017.
Fast forward to four months later, I was rushed to the emergency room. On my way there, I fell into a coma. I have no recollection, thank God, but I woke up entirely disoriented. Nobody told me what had happened, just that I was very ill. I was deaf and blind in one eye and had seizures. I was in hospital for a month, but thank God I recovered.
I had bacterial meningitis, strep on my meninges plus inflammation inside of my poor brain. I also had intercranial pressure, encephalitis and a few mini strokes. I was only 48 years old.
I spent one month in hospital, one month in rehab and one month at home resting. Four months later I returned to my reception job at a global freight forwarding company. On my first day I knew something big was wrong with me. For four months, I endured hardships for half of my days at work. I then had a seizure which caused me to fall off the staircase and that was my last day at work.
I spent another month back in hospital. At this point, I was assigned a neurologist and a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with bipolar. I’d never had signs before and was put on a lot of drugs by both specialists and a psychiatrist.
The neurologist looked at my MRI scan and told me “You should be then feet under... God loves you.”
Fast forward to 2020, I joined a global meningitis support group on Facebook. Every day, I read one story which helped me to understand that I'm not the only one suffering. This did me a lot of good. My main problem is that I forget quickly.
In 2023, my husband loves to karaoke for fun, so I went with him but I couldn’t sing. The words were going too fast for my brain. Now, I practice the songs at my own pace at home.
Six months ago, I started singing. My stomach shivered on stage; however, I picked up my confidence. Now I sing solo songs with confidence and get a standing ovation. It is like my brain has just popped open. I can remember the words in my head and sing my heart out.
Our brains are a miracle. Don’t underestimate it. Give it practice. You will be surprised the outcome.
Today, my brain is 90 per cent fully functional and I have weaned myself off most of my medications. I'm doing great and if my story can give hope to just one person, then my day is made.
Love and respect to you all. Hugs and kisses,
Rushaan Jacobs
You are not alone. Have patience and there's always hope. I survived. I suffered. I learned.