Emma's Story
Emma’s Story
Emma was just five years old when she contracted meningitis, 10 days into her first year of school. Emma’s mum Jane shares how an early morning in 2005 could have turned out very differently for her daughter.
“Emma was the child that was up at 5am every morning, waking up the household with her hyperactive energy”, says Jane. “One morning, the family were up and about getting ready for work, but noticed Emma wasn’t around. She had woken up vomiting in the middle of the night and slept in; which was unusual.
“This was probably the first time she wasn’t awake before us. Before I left for work, I went into Emma’s bedroom and woke her up to get her out of bed,” Jane continues, “however she was so unwell that she went straight to the couch.
“My husband and I had an argument over who was going to stay home and look after her, which seems such a silly thing in hindsight.
“I went and sat next to Emma on the couch, to try and work out what was wrong with her, and for some reason (to this day I still can’t explain why) I lifted her nightie and noticed a half reddish/brownish circle on her tummy. My immediate thought was that this could be meningitis.”
Jane had seen a pamphlet on meningitis just the week before while at the doctor, and Emma’s symptoms were adding up. She immediately called the medical centre to book an appointment.
“The nurse responded saying she had no appointments available that day, but I knew something was not right with Emma and that I had to act fast, so I put her straight into the car and took her to the doctors anyway,” Jane says.
“Emma was still in her pyjamas, and once we arrived at the medical centre she had a tantrum because her hair was a mess and she wasn’t dressed properly. I quickly tied up her hair and carried her into reception.
“The receptionist asked me to take a seat, but I knew how life-threatening meningitis could be and I refused. I lifted up Emma’s nightie again to show the receptionist her symptoms and as I was doing this, the locum doctor walked past. She saw the rashes on Emma’s tummy and told us to go to the treatment room immediately.
“As Emma sat there, with her rashes continuing to develop, our family doctor John walked past, took one look at her and quickly called an ambulance.”
While waiting for the ambulance in the medical centre, the doctor began injecting Emma with penicillin to try and slow down the progression of the disease. By this point, Emma was screaming, and it was hard to calm her down. Jane called Emma’s father Nick to let him know what was going on and he immediately left home and met them at the medical centre, just as the ambulance was leaving with Jane and Emma on board.
“It took 15 long minutes to get to Christchurch Hospital”, says Jane. “In that time, Emma’s symptoms worsened. Before my very eyes I watched as the rash turned dark and spread all over her body, it was awful.
“As the back of the ambulance doors opened, I knew Emma was in a serious condition, as we were greeted by a handful of doctors and nurses. We scrambled through A&E to the children’s treatment area. They instantly injected Emma with antibiotics, and she started to scream again.
“I apologised to the doctors, but they reassured me that it was a good thing, and for her to let it out as the more she fights, the more likely she is to be okay.
The doctors at the hospital moved the family to an isolation room in the High Dependency Unit. Everybody who was identified as a close contact had to complete forms from the Ministry of Health and take a preventative drug. Emma’s entire school was also notified by the Ministry of Health to monitor for symptoms.
Emma had contracted meningitis during a peak outbreak in Aotearoa, children in hospitals were dying and losing limbs from septicaemia associated with the disease. The vaccine (MeNZB) for the strain that was prevalent during this outbreak had just been released. There was a lot going on and it made the process very frightening and real for the family.
“We stayed three nights in hospital, and there were some doctors from the West Coast who came and viewed Emma, as many of them had never seen a live active case,” says Jane. “Everything was still very uncertain and by this point it was a waiting game.”
By Day five, Emma’s rashes had settled. Some rashes grew bigger, but for the most part they were disappearing. Doctors told them that Emma was lucky that their GP had injected her with penicillin so quickly.
Emma was still receiving antibiotics through an IV but was okay to be discharged from the hospital. Doctors warned Jane and Nick of the progressive symptoms of meningitis and that over the next couple of months, Emma may lose her hearing and that some brain damage may have occurred.
By the end of the first week at home, Emma’s skin was thankfully completely clear of any rashes. After several tests in the following months, it was clear that Emma had walked away incredibly lucky and unscathed.
The doctor jokingly advised her that she should still steer clear from being a NASA scientist just in case but said she can pursue a career as a doctor if she wishes!
“I don’t remember anything from that day, only that I was in a hospital”, recalls Emma. “I remember having electrodes all over my chest monitoring me and every time I moved the alarms would go off. I remember it being terrifying and it gave me night terrors for two years afterwards”
“It’s weird for me to think about because I was so young, and I survived without any lasting effects. I am so grateful,” she continues. “I didn’t start thinking about being a meningitis survivor until last year. It happened so fast, I nearly died, then within a week I was back at home, then 10 days later, back at school”.
“Last year (2021), someone at my university died from meningitis. I nearly died from meningitis in 2005. In this time, we should have seen a change in education programmes to empower whānau to get vaccinated, increase early detection and save lives. We should have also have seen an increase in vaccine accessibility in Aotearoa, particularly for our most vulnerable. This has not happened.”
“I always think back to the day Emma woke up and wondered how different life might have been if we had put Emma back to bed that morning rather than taking her to the doctors.” says Jane.
“Due to the rapidity of meningitis, if Emma was put back to bed that morning instead of going to the doctors; she could have been dead by lunchtime. The doctor giving her the initial dose of penicillin and calling the ambulance when he did is probably what saved her life. The natural thing to do when you feel unwell is to go to bed, but meningitis is so quick and sudden, that this is what could kill you.
“My advice to other parents is that if a vaccine is available and accessible to you, please take that opportunity to protect your child. It is also important to remember that you know your child best – if you think there’s something wrong with them, stand your ground and make somebody talk to you.
Emma recalls being at her 21st birthday party, and during her Mum’s speech, looking around and thinking how special it was that all her friends and family were together celebrating her.
“It made me realise how life-threatening meningitis is and that I may not have ever made it to this day”.
