Supporting awareness and the Meningitis Family
Our goal as a Team is to raise awareness and educate people about meningitis and septicaemia. We do this by bringing people together through exercise, challenges and initiatives, and we take part in numerous events. We have been going for over 13 years and we are always on the lookout for new members!
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." ...
Sharing our experiences is an important part of raising awareness to prevent future loss of life.
In memory of Alexis Rose, 19 months
15/07/2009- 05/02/2011
Alexis Rose, our beautiful baby daughter, was 19 months old when she died very suddenly of meningitis in 2011. She had bags of personality and was by nature a fighter- born nearly 3 months early and weighing 2lb 12 ounces she spent a while in hospital alongside her twin sister but quickly grew in strength. She was always laughing and making us laugh, we will never forget her toothy smile and the way she would look over to make sure people were watching before she did something naughty. She was so happy and healthy and we never dreamed that anything could ever take her away from us, but meningitis ended her life within hours. We decided to continue Alexis's fight and refuse to let meningitis beat us, by raising money and awareness of this disease for Meningitis Now.
Mark, 5 weeks old: (by Andy and Kim Mackay)
Our son Mark was admitted to hospital with Bacterial Meningitis at 5 weeks old, a normal Saturday afternoon , summer 2012 quiet quickly turned into a living nightmare. We were rushed to Yorkhill by ambulance and after a 3day stay in isolation then a period of time in PICU after terrible seizures, he stabilised and we spent the remaining 2 weeks on the ward with IV antibiotics 4 times a day. Easily the worst period in our lives so far. He has had ultrasound scans, MRI scans, hearing tests and many trips to the clinic at Yorkhill to assess his well being. Thankfully he seems to be doing really well and continues to make us proud every day. We were one of the lucky ones, we got to bring our baby home, on our wedding anniversary no less. Many are not so lucky and have lost loved ones or are now living with the devastating effects of this awful disease.
Alison Hobson
On Saturday May the 10 in 2008 something happened that changed our lives forever. Sat at lunchtime in a restaurant in Germany, our then 5 year old daughter Lillie-Beth told us that she had a headache and it was really hurting her. She said that the sun was too bright, really bright and that it was hurting her eyes. She put my sun glasses on, got on my knee and instantly fell asleep. When she woke, she had a raging temperature. We did the usual thing that parents do and gave her calpol and monitored her. At 8 o clock she was fast asleep again. At 1130pm we were in bed, she was sleeping with us so we could continue to monitor her and she suddenly let out a huge cry and her breathing at that moment changed…it just changed….it was very fast and shallow, it was like she couldn’t catch her breathe properly. She was being violently sick but was not responsive and she was very weary. She had cold hands and cold feet but also she had a severe temperature. Her neck was rigid. Garry immediately told me that something was seriously wrong, he knew about meningitis – she was floppy, she was boiling hot, she was wincing in pain….she had all of the signs and symptoms but no rash. We took her in the car to the local German hospital which was 20 minutes drive away. Upon arrival, I had Lillie-Beth in my arms and at this point she was completely lifeless. We rushed in and Garry mentioned the word meningitis…we were seen immediately. They took her from my arms and laid her on a bed…..still she was completely lifeless…They did some immediate tests and they told us that they also thought she had meningitis and that they needed to do a lumbar puncture on her to confirm their fears…..I will never ever ever get the scream out of my head as they pushed that needle into her spine, as they drew the fluid out of her spine, the doctor knew it was serious. His face said it all and the urgency of dealing with her intensified further. A whole team of people were rushing in and out of the room doing different things to our little girl. We had to wait for 40 minutes for tests to be carried out to confirm their suspicions. That 40 minutes seemed to last a life time, Garry and I were in a room, our daughter laid flat out in front of us and there was nothing at all that we could do. She was lifeless. Within an hour of arriving at hospital, we were in intensive care with Lil, the doctors told us that she had contracted meningococcal septicaemia and that the next 48 -72 hours were critical. There was nothing more that anybody could do, all that we could do was sit and wait to see if she responded to the medication that was being pumped into her. I can’t really describe what we were feeling at this point, other than being completely numb and so so scared. Every few minutes different people would come into monitor her, we were in isolation,everbody was wearing protective clothing and masks. Garry and I were helpless, totally. We were so scared. So frightened of what might happen at any minute. When a professor of paediatrics tells you that they can do no more it’s just a matter of time…..thats hard to digest. You can only imagine. My Garry was a broken man, my baby was lifeless, my life at that moment was so low. We were broken. For 48 hours we sat beside her, we talked to her, sang to her, cried and cried and pleaded that she would wake up.
Imagine the horrible phone calls that we had to make to family at home in England. Grandmas and Grandads, brothers and sisters, aunties and uncles….all of them praying that she would wake up and that there would be some positive news.
On Tuesday 13 May we were laid on her bed, talking to her and out of the blue she opened her eyes…..she was confused and scared, sobbing and fighting to get to us. She was in and out of consciousness then for the next few days but the doctors told us that she was responding well to the medication. They also warned us that we should be prepared for her to have some severe after effects if she did gain full consciousness. We were prepared to deal with whatever, our daughter was awake. From then on she started to make progress, she started eating and drinking again and slowly but surely her energy levels increased. There were lots of ups and downs but 2 weeks later we left that hospital with what they described as a miracle child. Nobody had ever expected her to survive. They told us if we had waited another 20 minutes, she most certainly would not have survived.
Our lives changed forever at that moment. No more getting stressed about things that really don’t warrant being stressed about. Start living for today not tomorrow, because simply you do not know what is around the corner. What happened to us in 2008, I would not wish on any body. Life is simply too short, please all of you remember this. Our family and friends are precious, cherish them with all of your heart.
We are a very lucky family, Lil is growing up into a beautiful young lady. She has no after effects whatsoever. We almost didn’t have that and that is not even worth thinking about. The reason that I have been committed to raising money for Meningitis Now since 2008 is that so many families don’t have the outcome that we had. People lose lives to meningitis. It strikes quickly and if it isn’t dealt with immediately it can cause total devastation. We have met familes whose children have died of meningitis, whose children have lost limbs to meningitis. They have done nothing wrong other than contract a disease.
Sharing our experiences is an important part of raising awareness to prevent future loss of life.
In memory of Alexis Rose, 19 months
15/07/2009- 05/02/2011
Alexis Rose, our beautiful baby daughter, was 19 months old when she died very suddenly of meningitis in 2011. She had bags of personality and was by nature a fighter- born nearly 3 months early and weighing 2lb 12 ounces she spent a while in hospital alongside her twin sister but quickly grew in strength. She was always laughing and making us laugh, we will never forget her toothy smile and the way she would look over to make sure people were watching before she did something naughty. She was so happy and healthy and we never dreamed that anything could ever take her away from us, but meningitis ended her life within hours. We decided to continue Alexis's fight and refuse to let meningitis beat us, by raising money and awareness of this disease for Meningitis Now.
Mark, 5 weeks old: (by Andy and Kim Mackay)
Our son Mark was admitted to hospital with Bacterial Meningitis at 5 weeks old, a normal Saturday afternoon , summer 2012 quiet quickly turned into a living nightmare. We were rushed to Yorkhill by ambulance and after a 3day stay in isolation then a period of time in PICU after terrible seizures, he stabilised and we spent the remaining 2 weeks on the ward with IV antibiotics 4 times a day. Easily the worst period in our lives so far. He has had ultrasound scans, MRI scans, hearing tests and many trips to the clinic at Yorkhill to assess his well being. Thankfully he seems to be doing really well and continues to make us proud every day. We were one of the lucky ones, we got to bring our baby home, on our wedding anniversary no less. Many are not so lucky and have lost loved ones or are now living with the devastating effects of this awful disease.
Alison Hobson
On Saturday May the 10 in 2008 something happened that changed our lives forever. Sat at lunchtime in a restaurant in Germany, our then 5 year old daughter Lillie-Beth told us that she had a headache and it was really hurting her. She said that the sun was too bright, really bright and that it was hurting her eyes. She put my sun glasses on, got on my knee and instantly fell asleep. When she woke, she had a raging temperature. We did the usual thing that parents do and gave her calpol and monitored her. At 8 o clock she was fast asleep again. At 1130pm we were in bed, she was sleeping with us so we could continue to monitor her and she suddenly let out a huge cry and her breathing at that moment changed…it just changed….it was very fast and shallow, it was like she couldn’t catch her breathe properly. She was being violently sick but was not responsive and she was very weary. She had cold hands and cold feet but also she had a severe temperature. Her neck was rigid. Garry immediately told me that something was seriously wrong, he knew about meningitis – she was floppy, she was boiling hot, she was wincing in pain….she had all of the signs and symptoms but no rash. We took her in the car to the local German hospital which was 20 minutes drive away. Upon arrival, I had Lillie-Beth in my arms and at this point she was completely lifeless. We rushed in and Garry mentioned the word meningitis…we were seen immediately. They took her from my arms and laid her on a bed…..still she was completely lifeless…They did some immediate tests and they told us that they also thought she had meningitis and that they needed to do a lumbar puncture on her to confirm their fears…..I will never ever ever get the scream out of my head as they pushed that needle into her spine, as they drew the fluid out of her spine, the doctor knew it was serious. His face said it all and the urgency of dealing with her intensified further. A whole team of people were rushing in and out of the room doing different things to our little girl. We had to wait for 40 minutes for tests to be carried out to confirm their suspicions. That 40 minutes seemed to last a life time, Garry and I were in a room, our daughter laid flat out in front of us and there was nothing at all that we could do. She was lifeless. Within an hour of arriving at hospital, we were in intensive care with Lil, the doctors told us that she had contracted meningococcal septicaemia and that the next 48 -72 hours were critical. There was nothing more that anybody could do, all that we could do was sit and wait to see if she responded to the medication that was being pumped into her. I can’t really describe what we were feeling at this point, other than being completely numb and so so scared. Every few minutes different people would come into monitor her, we were in isolation,everbody was wearing protective clothing and masks. Garry and I were helpless, totally. We were so scared. So frightened of what might happen at any minute. When a professor of paediatrics tells you that they can do no more it’s just a matter of time…..thats hard to digest. You can only imagine. My Garry was a broken man, my baby was lifeless, my life at that moment was so low. We were broken. For 48 hours we sat beside her, we talked to her, sang to her, cried and cried and pleaded that she would wake up.
Imagine the horrible phone calls that we had to make to family at home in England. Grandmas and Grandads, brothers and sisters, aunties and uncles….all of them praying that she would wake up and that there would be some positive news.
On Tuesday 13 May we were laid on her bed, talking to her and out of the blue she opened her eyes…..she was confused and scared, sobbing and fighting to get to us. She was in and out of consciousness then for the next few days but the doctors told us that she was responding well to the medication. They also warned us that we should be prepared for her to have some severe after effects if she did gain full consciousness. We were prepared to deal with whatever, our daughter was awake. From then on she started to make progress, she started eating and drinking again and slowly but surely her energy levels increased. There were lots of ups and downs but 2 weeks later we left that hospital with what they described as a miracle child. Nobody had ever expected her to survive. They told us if we had waited another 20 minutes, she most certainly would not have survived.
Our lives changed forever at that moment. No more getting stressed about things that really don’t warrant being stressed about. Start living for today not tomorrow, because simply you do not know what is around the corner. What happened to us in 2008, I would not wish on any body. Life is simply too short, please all of you remember this. Our family and friends are precious, cherish them with all of your heart.
We are a very lucky family, Lil is growing up into a beautiful young lady. She has no after effects whatsoever. We almost didn’t have that and that is not even worth thinking about. The reason that I have been committed to raising money for Meningitis Now since 2008 is that so many families don’t have the outcome that we had. People lose lives to meningitis. It strikes quickly and if it isn’t dealt with immediately it can cause total devastation. We have met familes whose children have died of meningitis, whose children have lost limbs to meningitis. They have done nothing wrong other than contract a disease.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." ...
Sharing our experiences is an important part of raising awareness to prevent future loss of life.
In memory of Alexis Rose, 19 months
15/07/2009- 05/02/2011
Alexis Rose, our beautiful baby daughter, was 19 months old when she died very suddenly of meningitis in 2011. She had bags of personality and was by nature a fighter- born nearly 3 months early and weighing 2lb 12 ounces she spent a while in hospital alongside her twin sister but quickly grew in strength. She was always laughing and making us laugh, we will never forget her toothy smile and the way she would look over to make sure people were watching before she did something naughty. She was so happy and healthy and we never dreamed that anything could ever take her away from us, but meningitis ended her life within hours. We decided to continue Alexis's fight and refuse to let meningitis beat us, by raising money and awareness of this disease for Meningitis Now.
Mark, 5 weeks old: (by Andy and Kim Mackay)
Our son Mark was admitted to hospital with Bacterial Meningitis at 5 weeks old, a normal Saturday afternoon , summer 2012 quiet quickly turned into a living nightmare. We were rushed to Yorkhill by ambulance and after a 3day stay in isolation then a period of time in PICU after terrible seizures, he stabilised and we spent the remaining 2 weeks on the ward with IV antibiotics 4 times a day. Easily the worst period in our lives so far. He has had ultrasound scans, MRI scans, hearing tests and many trips to the clinic at Yorkhill to assess his well being. Thankfully he seems to be doing really well and continues to make us proud every day. We were one of the lucky ones, we got to bring our baby home, on our wedding anniversary no less. Many are not so lucky and have lost loved ones or are now living with the devastating effects of this awful disease.
Alison Hobson
On Saturday May the 10 in 2008 something happened that changed our lives forever. Sat at lunchtime in a restaurant in Germany, our then 5 year old daughter Lillie-Beth told us that she had a headache and it was really hurting her. She said that the sun was too bright, really bright and that it was hurting her eyes. She put my sun glasses on, got on my knee and instantly fell asleep. When she woke, she had a raging temperature. We did the usual thing that parents do and gave her calpol and monitored her. At 8 o clock she was fast asleep again. At 1130pm we were in bed, she was sleeping with us so we could continue to monitor her and she suddenly let out a huge cry and her breathing at that moment changed…it just changed….it was very fast and shallow, it was like she couldn’t catch her breathe properly. She was being violently sick but was not responsive and she was very weary. She had cold hands and cold feet but also she had a severe temperature. Her neck was rigid. Garry immediately told me that something was seriously wrong, he knew about meningitis – she was floppy, she was boiling hot, she was wincing in pain….she had all of the signs and symptoms but no rash. We took her in the car to the local German hospital which was 20 minutes drive away. Upon arrival, I had Lillie-Beth in my arms and at this point she was completely lifeless. We rushed in and Garry mentioned the word meningitis…we were seen immediately. They took her from my arms and laid her on a bed…..still she was completely lifeless…They did some immediate tests and they told us that they also thought she had meningitis and that they needed to do a lumbar puncture on her to confirm their fears…..I will never ever ever get the scream out of my head as they pushed that needle into her spine, as they drew the fluid out of her spine, the doctor knew it was serious. His face said it all and the urgency of dealing with her intensified further. A whole team of people were rushing in and out of the room doing different things to our little girl. We had to wait for 40 minutes for tests to be carried out to confirm their suspicions. That 40 minutes seemed to last a life time, Garry and I were in a room, our daughter laid flat out in front of us and there was nothing at all that we could do. She was lifeless. Within an hour of arriving at hospital, we were in intensive care with Lil, the doctors told us that she had contracted meningococcal septicaemia and that the next 48 -72 hours were critical. There was nothing more that anybody could do, all that we could do was sit and wait to see if she responded to the medication that was being pumped into her. I can’t really describe what we were feeling at this point, other than being completely numb and so so scared. Every few minutes different people would come into monitor her, we were in isolation,everbody was wearing protective clothing and masks. Garry and I were helpless, totally. We were so scared. So frightened of what might happen at any minute. When a professor of paediatrics tells you that they can do no more it’s just a matter of time…..thats hard to digest. You can only imagine. My Garry was a broken man, my baby was lifeless, my life at that moment was so low. We were broken. For 48 hours we sat beside her, we talked to her, sang to her, cried and cried and pleaded that she would wake up.
Imagine the horrible phone calls that we had to make to family at home in England. Grandmas and Grandads, brothers and sisters, aunties and uncles….all of them praying that she would wake up and that there would be some positive news.
On Tuesday 13 May we were laid on her bed, talking to her and out of the blue she opened her eyes…..she was confused and scared, sobbing and fighting to get to us. She was in and out of consciousness then for the next few days but the doctors told us that she was responding well to the medication. They also warned us that we should be prepared for her to have some severe after effects if she did gain full consciousness. We were prepared to deal with whatever, our daughter was awake. From then on she started to make progress, she started eating and drinking again and slowly but surely her energy levels increased. There were lots of ups and downs but 2 weeks later we left that hospital with what they described as a miracle child. Nobody had ever expected her to survive. They told us if we had waited another 20 minutes, she most certainly would not have survived.
Our lives changed forever at that moment. No more getting stressed about things that really don’t warrant being stressed about. Start living for today not tomorrow, because simply you do not know what is around the corner. What happened to us in 2008, I would not wish on any body. Life is simply too short, please all of you remember this. Our family and friends are precious, cherish them with all of your heart.
We are a very lucky family, Lil is growing up into a beautiful young lady. She has no after effects whatsoever. We almost didn’t have that and that is not even worth thinking about. The reason that I have been committed to raising money for Meningitis Now since 2008 is that so many families don’t have the outcome that we had. People lose lives to meningitis. It strikes quickly and if it isn’t dealt with immediately it can cause total devastation. We have met familes whose children have died of meningitis, whose children have lost limbs to meningitis. They have done nothing wrong other than contract a disease.
Sharing our experiences is an important part of raising awareness to prevent future loss of life.
In memory of Alexis Rose, 19 months
15/07/2009- 05/02/2011
Alexis Rose, our beautiful baby daughter, was 19 months old when she died very suddenly of meningitis in 2011. She had bags of personality and was by nature a fighter- born nearly 3 months early and weighing 2lb 12 ounces she spent a while in hospital alongside her twin sister but quickly grew in strength. She was always laughing and making us laugh, we will never forget her toothy smile and the way she would look over to make sure people were watching before she did something naughty. She was so happy and healthy and we never dreamed that anything could ever take her away from us, but meningitis ended her life within hours. We decided to continue Alexis's fight and refuse to let meningitis beat us, by raising money and awareness of this disease for Meningitis Now.
Mark, 5 weeks old: (by Andy and Kim Mackay)
Our son Mark was admitted to hospital with Bacterial Meningitis at 5 weeks old, a normal Saturday afternoon , summer 2012 quiet quickly turned into a living nightmare. We were rushed to Yorkhill by ambulance and after a 3day stay in isolation then a period of time in PICU after terrible seizures, he stabilised and we spent the remaining 2 weeks on the ward with IV antibiotics 4 times a day. Easily the worst period in our lives so far. He has had ultrasound scans, MRI scans, hearing tests and many trips to the clinic at Yorkhill to assess his well being. Thankfully he seems to be doing really well and continues to make us proud every day. We were one of the lucky ones, we got to bring our baby home, on our wedding anniversary no less. Many are not so lucky and have lost loved ones or are now living with the devastating effects of this awful disease.
Alison Hobson
On Saturday May the 10 in 2008 something happened that changed our lives forever. Sat at lunchtime in a restaurant in Germany, our then 5 year old daughter Lillie-Beth told us that she had a headache and it was really hurting her. She said that the sun was too bright, really bright and that it was hurting her eyes. She put my sun glasses on, got on my knee and instantly fell asleep. When she woke, she had a raging temperature. We did the usual thing that parents do and gave her calpol and monitored her. At 8 o clock she was fast asleep again. At 1130pm we were in bed, she was sleeping with us so we could continue to monitor her and she suddenly let out a huge cry and her breathing at that moment changed…it just changed….it was very fast and shallow, it was like she couldn’t catch her breathe properly. She was being violently sick but was not responsive and she was very weary. She had cold hands and cold feet but also she had a severe temperature. Her neck was rigid. Garry immediately told me that something was seriously wrong, he knew about meningitis – she was floppy, she was boiling hot, she was wincing in pain….she had all of the signs and symptoms but no rash. We took her in the car to the local German hospital which was 20 minutes drive away. Upon arrival, I had Lillie-Beth in my arms and at this point she was completely lifeless. We rushed in and Garry mentioned the word meningitis…we were seen immediately. They took her from my arms and laid her on a bed…..still she was completely lifeless…They did some immediate tests and they told us that they also thought she had meningitis and that they needed to do a lumbar puncture on her to confirm their fears…..I will never ever ever get the scream out of my head as they pushed that needle into her spine, as they drew the fluid out of her spine, the doctor knew it was serious. His face said it all and the urgency of dealing with her intensified further. A whole team of people were rushing in and out of the room doing different things to our little girl. We had to wait for 40 minutes for tests to be carried out to confirm their suspicions. That 40 minutes seemed to last a life time, Garry and I were in a room, our daughter laid flat out in front of us and there was nothing at all that we could do. She was lifeless. Within an hour of arriving at hospital, we were in intensive care with Lil, the doctors told us that she had contracted meningococcal septicaemia and that the next 48 -72 hours were critical. There was nothing more that anybody could do, all that we could do was sit and wait to see if she responded to the medication that was being pumped into her. I can’t really describe what we were feeling at this point, other than being completely numb and so so scared. Every few minutes different people would come into monitor her, we were in isolation,everbody was wearing protective clothing and masks. Garry and I were helpless, totally. We were so scared. So frightened of what might happen at any minute. When a professor of paediatrics tells you that they can do no more it’s just a matter of time…..thats hard to digest. You can only imagine. My Garry was a broken man, my baby was lifeless, my life at that moment was so low. We were broken. For 48 hours we sat beside her, we talked to her, sang to her, cried and cried and pleaded that she would wake up.
Imagine the horrible phone calls that we had to make to family at home in England. Grandmas and Grandads, brothers and sisters, aunties and uncles….all of them praying that she would wake up and that there would be some positive news.
On Tuesday 13 May we were laid on her bed, talking to her and out of the blue she opened her eyes…..she was confused and scared, sobbing and fighting to get to us. She was in and out of consciousness then for the next few days but the doctors told us that she was responding well to the medication. They also warned us that we should be prepared for her to have some severe after effects if she did gain full consciousness. We were prepared to deal with whatever, our daughter was awake. From then on she started to make progress, she started eating and drinking again and slowly but surely her energy levels increased. There were lots of ups and downs but 2 weeks later we left that hospital with what they described as a miracle child. Nobody had ever expected her to survive. They told us if we had waited another 20 minutes, she most certainly would not have survived.
Our lives changed forever at that moment. No more getting stressed about things that really don’t warrant being stressed about. Start living for today not tomorrow, because simply you do not know what is around the corner. What happened to us in 2008, I would not wish on any body. Life is simply too short, please all of you remember this. Our family and friends are precious, cherish them with all of your heart.
We are a very lucky family, Lil is growing up into a beautiful young lady. She has no after effects whatsoever. We almost didn’t have that and that is not even worth thinking about. The reason that I have been committed to raising money for Meningitis Now since 2008 is that so many families don’t have the outcome that we had. People lose lives to meningitis. It strikes quickly and if it isn’t dealt with immediately it can cause total devastation. We have met familes whose children have died of meningitis, whose children have lost limbs to meningitis. They have done nothing wrong other than contract a disease.
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