By Becca, volunteer at Meningitis Now

Hi, I’m Becca and I am a medical student currently intercalating on the MMedSc here in Southampton. I am doing a project to raise awareness of meningitis at the Uni and I recently became a volunteer with Meningitis Now, this stemmed from my experience getting meningitis here as a fresher.

Students are the second highest risk group of developing meningitis, after babies and toddlers.

Young adults are at higher risk of meningitis and septicaemia caused by meningococcal bacteria. The bacteria lives in the back of the nose/throat of 1 in 10 people in the general population, but in 1 in 4 students.

Here is my story - 

Only 6 weeks after starting Medicine at Southampton, I contracted meningococcal septicaemia. I went to bed feeling completely normal but woke in the early hours feeling unwell, a bit like a hangover, and was vomiting continuously so went to A&E. I only knew to go to hospital as I hadn’t been out the night before, otherwise I’m sure I would’ve brushed off my symptoms.

I was about to be sent home from A&E after some anti-emetics when I collapsed and started showing signs of sepsis. My memories are foggy, but I remember feeling very clammy and confused, and my friend sitting with me stroking my hair. I remember thinking it all felt a bit dramatic. Turns out, my temperature was 40, BP was tanking, and my body was shutting down. My parents were called and I saw them for maybe 5 minutes in Resus before I was put in an induced coma and moved to intensive care.

I was in the coma for 2 weeks, during which my family were told to prepare for the worst twice – once for the organ failure, and again for the raised ICP. Fortunately, I came out the other side but faced permanent after-effects – I lost my legs and parts of my fingers. I spent nearly 4 months in hospital, having countless surgeries (somewhere between 10 and 15 but who is counting?!) and I spent 7 weeks in rehab learning to walk on prosthetics. I returned to uni in 2020 to restart Medicine and so far, so good. I was very fortunate to receive a hand transplant in Leeds last year, which is slowly giving me more function and normality back (it’s so amazing, the medic in me is obsessed!)

I am so incredibly grateful to still be here, as many are not so lucky. Meningococcal disease has a 10-15% fatality rate, and 90% of children and teenagers who die of meningococcal meningitis die within 24 hours.

I urge anyone who has not received their MenACWY to go to your GP and ask for it (you can still get it for free until you turn 25). A MenB vaccine was introduced for babies and children, so encourage your loved ones to take this. I am hoping to run more awareness stalls on campus throughput the year so please come chat to me and support my fundraising if you are able to <3