Lindsey and Lauren’s story

Lindsey and Lauren’s story

In December of 2022, Auckland high school leaver Lauren and her mother Lindsey took advice from The University of Canterbury about getting vaccinated for meningitis, before Lauren embarked on her first year of study away from home.  

What they hadn’t been told: there are two vaccinations that protect against different strains; Menactra, which protects against Menigococcal A,C,W & Y, and Bexsero, which protects against meningococcal B.

Lauren received the Menactra vaccine that day, the only protection that they were aware, at the time, that she needed. They recall leaving the clinic feeling happy that they no longer needed to worry about meningitis and that Lauren had taken the necessary precautions to get vaccinated.

At the start of 2023, Lauren headed to the halls at Canterbury to start university life. Embracing the excitement of meeting new people, she had a heavy social calendar during O-Week. She was enjoying her newfound independence and doubting that she’d need the medical kit her mother had packed for her, “just in case”.

O-Week was capped off by a friend’s 18th Birthday party. The morning after, Lauren woke feeling unwell, her throat was sore, her head throbbed, and her body ached. She spoke to her mum on the phone, who was back in Auckland, letting her know that she wasn’t feeling well. She insisted it wasn’t a hangover.

With symptoms similar to those of Covid-19, Lauren took a RAT test, which returned a negative result. From here, they decided that Lauren should get some rest, and wait and see if she felt better. Later on, Lindsey checked in again with her daughter, who had been vomiting and feeling progressively worse throughout the day.

Her temperature was elevated, high 37‘s. Lauren said she ‘didn’t feel right’, which was out of the ordinary for the 18-year-old, who wasn’t one to complain.

Now concerned that it was something that needed medical attention. Lindsey asked Lauren to take out her Oximeter from her medical kit. Her resting heart rate measured an alarmingly high 138 BPM, indicating that her body may be fighting off an infection.

Sensing something was seriously wrong, they both sought immediate medical attention and contacted her grandparents who live in Christchurch, for support. By the time they arrived, Lauren’s health had taken a turn for the worse. She was extremely ill, continuing to vomit in the car as her family rushed her to the after-hours clinic.

Immediately, the clinic staff ran blood tests, revealing Lauren’s white blood cell count was significantly elevated, indicating a bacterial infection. Lauren later noticed a rash on her body, which nurses thought was a heat rash, but looked more like broken red blood spots.

Unaware of the exact cause of the infection, nurses began IV antibiotics and transferred Lauren to Christchurch hospital via ambulance. In the ambulance, Lauren’s body went into shock, shaking and her blood pressure was falling, while her heart rate was still elevated. In an effort to pump the infection from her body, she was being administered large amounts of saline. This inadvertently flooded her lungs, leading to pulmonary edema.

Finally, at Christchurch Hospital, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Lindsey spoke with the medical team, extremely concerned about pneumonia, which Lauren had suffered from previously, along with other asthma related respiratory issues. Meningitis was also on Lindsey’s mind.

Sunday was a long anxious overnight wait but Lindsey made plans to fly on the first flight on Monday morning. On their way to the airport with Lauren’s younger sister, Lauren’s lumbar puncture results arrived, confirming that she had both bacterial meningitis, and that the infection was already in her bloodstream, so she was also fighting septicaemia.

With her husband away overseas, Lindsey felt shocked at how Lauren could be fighting meningitis after being vaccinated. She remembers sitting on the plane thinking “how are we in this situation, how can Lauren have meningitis if she was vaccinated.”

Devastated by the diagnosis and knowing the consequences, Lindsey began replaying the events that had led up to Lauren’s diagnoses and questioning how Lauren contracted the disease. She quickly learned Lauren had contracted meningococcal B, which was not covered in the vaccination she received.

Lauren was hospitalised for four days. When discharged, she returned to her university hall, albeit with limited information about her illness and the potential long-term effects. The lack of ongoing support and guidance left Lauren and her family grappling with uncertainties about her recovery. She was given daily taxi rides to the after-hours clinic to receive IV antibiotics for the next week.

After being informed about her diagnosis by Lindsey, the University sent out a notification to all students, noting incorrectly that Lauren was ‘highly contagious’, presenting another hurdle for Lauren, who then had to navigate the impacts of this label as a social 18-year-old.

Determined to see out her studies, Lauren has continued at The University of Canterbury. She continues to battle with fatigue, poor concentration levels, a damaged optic nerve, tinnitus and struggles to retain information which has affected her studies and exam results. She is unable to socialise as often as she used to and live life as a first-year university student should.

Time is critical when diagnosing and treating meningitis. Lindsey says she is thankful to have a daughter that “calls when she is unwell”. Ongoing communication and fast thinking allowed Lauren to be able to get the help she needed, in time. EVERY SECOND COUNTS.

Lauren and Lindsey want good to come from what they have been through, so that others don’t need to go through similar frightening situations.

Lindsey’s message to other parents is to “Trust your instincts, trust your intuition and push for answers.” The Bexsero vaccination is funded for first year university students who are  staying in a hall of residence. This came into effect in March of this year, which sadly missed the start of the year vaccination drive for the group of students like Lauren.

To celebrate Lauren’s 19th birthday in a couple of weeks, she got her first tattoo. This was very emotional and meaningful to her, she chose butterflies to represent her life after having bacterial meningitis and septicaemia. The placement was on her arm to signify the location of the butterfly needles that drew blood and port for the IV antibiotics, and the wings giving her the lease of life to continue living.