Meningitis in your words

Liam Parkinson-Wood's story

  • Location: England
  • Categories: Bacterial meningitis
  • Age: Young child 3-5
  • Relationship: Parent
  • Outcome: Recovery with after effects
  • After effects: Learning difficulties
Liam Parkinson-Wood

It was 17th August 2010 when I received a phone call from my son’s nursery to say he was very unwell and that he was asking to go to sleep. I knew this wasn’t normal for Liam so I went and collected him straight away.

We went straight to A&E and spent four hours up there, Liam was unconscious the whole time. We were sent home having been told it was a viral rash but I knew my son was very poorly.

We went home and I laid Liam on the sofa still asleep. After an hour he started being sick and had wet himself. As I undressed him it became very clear how poorly he really was – he was lifeless, pale, and burning hot. As I took his top off the full extent was revealed; a dark purple rash that didn’t go when I did the finger test. I dialled 999 and a wave of sickness came over me.

"My whole world shattered in front of me"

We promptly arrived at the hospital with doctors waiting at the doors who took Liam and ran. He was put in a side room and a team of doctors and nurses rushed to him, putting him on machines and oxygen and jabbing him with needles and taking bloods and pumping him with medicine.

The next morning my whole world shattered in front of me waking up to my baby still unconscious and now completely covered from head to toe in a horrible purple rash.

Liam came home after only two days in hospital and we had the hospital at home team come out to us for the next week to carry on with his drip medication.

He seems to have made a full recovery from his meningococcal septicaemia but we have had behaviour problems since and more recently night fits.

I’m so proud of Liam and everything he does, he really is my beautiful little miracle!

Emma Parkinson
December 2011