Grieving Hull mother Claire Newman has been campaigning relentlessly since her son Liam
was tragically struck by meningitis at the age of six. At the time, she didn’t recognize the
symptoms of the disease and believed he was simply suffering from a flu-like illness.
Claire, 32, said: “He woke up with a bit of a headache on the Friday and had been sick. He
also said his little toe hurt. I didn’t think anything was seriously wrong. Because he had
asthma and fell ill quite easily, I went to the chemist and got some Calpol.
In the evening we saw a bruise on his foot and thought that explained the sore toe. I didn’t
realise it could be a sign of septicaemia.”
Liam then woke up in the early hours of Saturday morning and asked for the doctor because
his headache was so bad.
A rash had started to develop when the doctor arrived and Liam was rushed to hospital.
Liam died two days later, when his life-support machine had to be switched off, leaving his
family heartbroken. He died from the dangerous meningococcal septicaemia form of the
disease, which leads to death in a tenth of cases.
It occurs when meningococcal bacteria enter the blood stream and multiply uncontrollably,
poisoning the blood and completely overwhelming the immune system.
Claire said: “Unfortunately we didn’t catch it in time. It was just like he had a cold until the
latter stages of the disease, which is why it’s so important people are vigilant to all the
symptoms – not just the rash.
