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On 19th April 2015, I was staying at my girlfriends house (I had to be told the next bit) when I started with an extremely bad headache and felt sick, I then started to have convulsions, I then went into a coma, my girlfriend called an ambulance, I was then taken to the A and E department at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, I needed to have a brain scan and a lumbar puncture. I was then transferred to the intensive care unit. The results came back, my family were told I had severe pneumococcal meningitis, and I may not survive, my family were now beside themselves with worry. I was very quickly treated with strong antibiotics, steroids (to reduce swelling around the brain) and other medications.  I was to spend the next 4 days in a coma, my family were told it was possible I may have severe brain damage.  Over the following few days the doctors and nurses were to try and bring me round, I felt very confused and was hallucinating a lot. When I eventually came round, my family, the lovely doctors and nurses were to tell me what had happened to me over the last week. The next week I started to slowly improve and then 13 days after arriving in hospital I was to go home. I felt very weak, and had a stiff neck and pains in my right foot and leg, but I felt very lucky to be alive with only minor after effects. Myself and all my family feel so eternally grateful to  all the hard working staff within the I.C.U. at stepping hill, a thank you just didn't seem enough!

My uncle and stepdad are going to run the Birmingham marathon in October to try and raise as much money for the unit as possible. I would be very appreciate of anyone who would please sponsor them or to donate to this wonderful unit.

A massive thank you to everyone who helped save my life.

Update....One month on.

I am already starting to feel so much better within myself and now have very little after effects.

I hope my story can give hope to anyone who knows someone who comes down with this rare and deadly illness.