Meningitis warning signs

Jordan Breeze, from Leigh, was just four when he contracted meningitis and septicaemia in November 2003, spending several weeks in hospital before having to go through the traumatic process of relearning even simple tasks such as walking and talking.

Jordan’s mum Meray spoke, as part of Meningitis Awareness Week, of how he went to school as a happy, healthy boy, was brought home feeling ill in the afternoon and by the following morning was fighting for his life.

Meray, from Butts Bridge, also highlighted the importance of knowing the symptoms of meningitis.

Meray, 45, said: “He went to school happy enough but then started being sick and I picked him up.

”By about 7pm he was wincing at the light and delirious and we went to Wigan Infirmary.

“He was rushed to intensive care in Manchester, then after a few days went on to high dependency and finally on to the ward.”

Thanks to the efforts of the medical experts Jordan pulled through the meningitis and septicaemia, but the disease left him unable to do many simple everyday tasks and facing a lengthy road to recovery.

Meray said: “He had forgotten things like putting a coat on or walking, it was like going back to being a toddler. He also had his vocabulary but he didn’t have things like his tone of voice.”

Jordan is now 15 and studying at Culchet High School. Meray has also taken on a variety of challenges for the Meningitis Research Foundation, ranging from running in 10k events to lobbying politicians at Westminster to introduce a vaccine for meningitis B.

She said: “When the Foundation sends out its information for the awareness week Jordan always says this is something we must do. I really believe in Meningitis Awareness Week. The vaccine will save a lot of people going through what we did, and without public awareness of meningitis we wouldn’t be as far down the line with it as we are.”

For more information about the disease visit www.meningitis.org