British student Lara Drew, 22, attributed her worsening headaches to just being tired and busy university life. She wouldn’t have expected what happened next even in her wildest dreams. According to the information of the diary she thought she was fighting a simple virus, but her body was actually being ravaged by insidious meningitis.
It all started inconspicuously. At that time, the acting student in Nottingham, UK, was living the typical life of a young person. “I was studying acting at the time, which was very exhausting. We all went out, had fun, drank, and people commonly got the so-called freshman flu. I lived socially and I was really exhausted,” the now cured pilates instructor recalled the time when she underestimated her body’s first warning signals.
The fateful moment occurred in November 2021when she and her parents traveled to Ashford for the funeral of a family member. Even then, she felt bad, but she still thought that it was just the reverberations of exhaustion. In the evening she complained of a throbbing headache and tried to suppress it with paracetamol.
The next day she woke up to a nightmare. “I had a headache which is quite unusual for me. I tried to sleep it off, but the next day I woke up she woke me up in terrible pain and the light was literally killing me. That’s when I thought something was wrong. I was sick, had diarrhea and felt terrible,” she described the first moments when the disease fully manifested itself.
The young woman’s condition worsened by the minute. It happened to her light-shyness, when she could not open her eyes because of the pain, followed by terrifying convulsions. “A few hours later, which I don’t remember, I started throwing up. I had seizures, I even kicked my own mother, who tried to help me and calm me down.” she admitted sadly.
Her behavior began to border on insanity, which is a common phenomenon with brain swelling. “I tried to drink from the bucket I had vomited into earlier. I acted like a fool. I had a massive seizure on the floor. My father finally grabbed me and threw me over his shoulders. My eyes rolled over with a pillar and I was left completely limp,” she described the dramatic seconds after which her parents immediately transported her to Ashford Hospital.
Doctors at the hospital had to act immediately. Using a lumbar puncture, they confirmed the diagnosis, which it was group A streptococcal meningitis. The situation was so serious that Lara was put into artificial sleep for three days. At that time, the medical staff announced the chilling news to her parents – their daughter was only thirty minutes away from death.
Although she survived, the fight was not over. She spent ten days on infusions and was in danger of losing her lower limbs. “Luckily, I don’t remember anything about it, but my mum was devastated. I’m an artist, and if I lost my legs, my career would be over… To go from dancing and doing double pirouettes to not being able to stand up was extremely terrifying.” added a young woman who had to learn to walk again with the help of physiotherapy.
Her story has a happy ending, but it comes at a time when an epidemic of this disease broke out in the English Kent region. It has already claimed the lives of two young people. Experts from the British National Health Service (NHS) warn that bacterial meningitis can lead to blood poisoning, sepsis and permanent brain damage.
Today, Lara uses her voice to warn students who often ignore the symptoms of the disease. “Don’t take risks, take care of yourself. If you feel bad, don’t underestimate it. We are extremely lucky to have health care, so take advantage of it. Watch out for your loved ones because you can save their lives.” she referred to the conclusion.
Although meningitis is one of the rarer diseases, its course is extremely aggressive and dangerous. This inflammation of the meninges can in a short time result in total blood poisoning (sepsis) or permanent brain damage. warns that, especially with the bacterial form of the disease, the patient’s health can deteriorate dramatically within a few hours.
The initial symptoms of the disease are often deceptive and mask the real threat, as they are strikingly similar to the common flu. The patient may experience high fever, intense headaches or general weakness and fatigue. However, the warning signs that already signal a critical condition include: especially neck stiffness, increased sensitivity to light, confusion or convulsive seizures.
In this context, doctors strongly point out a dangerous myth. A typical skin rash may not appear in every patient. Relying on her presence and postponing a visit to the emergency room is therefore not worth it – the timely intervention of doctors is absolutely crucial in the fight to save life.
