Little Lily was tragically diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia at just 10 months old. Her initial symptoms were mistaken for a sickness bug, but the severity of her condition quickly became apparent. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, Lily succumbed to the illness. Her mother, Rebekah, shares their heart breaking story from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, highlighting the importance of awareness and early detection of meningitis.
“On 22 November 2017 Lily woke up at 4 in the morning with sickness, diarrhoea and a temperature of 39.4.
“I rang 111 and described all Lily’s symptoms and was told she didn’t need to see a doctor for 12 hours. I managed to get her into the same day health centre at 11am, only to be told she had a sickness bug and to go home – even though her temperature was still above 39 – and to only give her Calpol and no ibroprofen.
She was unresponsive
“By 3pm the same day her lips and hands had gone blue and she was unresponsive. While on the phone to the ambulance I noticed she had started to get a mottled rash and by the time the ambulance got to us Lily could hardly breathe for herself.
“She was rushed straight into resuscitation at Doncaster Hospital. In the time we were there she had two blood transfusions and went into cardiac arrest six times before they told me they could do no more to save my baby.
Developed the rash
“It wasn’t until right at the end that Lily developed the rash.
“Losing my daughter has broken my heart. She had no common signs and I knew very little about this disease. She had got meningitis meningococcal type w and septicaemia.
“My little Lily was just 10 months old and she had all of her life ahead of her. Losing her has left a massive hole in all my family’s lives. She was such a happy, perfect little girl. I will never forget my princess. I wish we’d caught this in time to save her.”
