Within hours four-year-old Millie Dawson went from “full of life” to lifeless and unresponsive.
Having complained of a fever, Millie was sent home from a doctor appointment with medication to treat a virus. However as her symptoms began to worsen her parents Tim and Louise rushed her to Hospital just in time.
Within 24 hours since first feeling ill, Millie was fighting for her life in ICU with bacterial meningitis.
Meningitis involves inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes and is usually caused by an infection of some kind. Severe cases can cause hearing problems, brain damage as well as loss of limbs.
Tim and Louise could not believe how quickly their daughter became so gravely ill.
“It is terrifying to see your child like that,” Tim wrote in a Facebook post.
They have since created a Facebook page to share Millie’s journey to recovery while raising awareness of the symptoms of Meningitis, warning parents of the dangerous symptoms.
The tell-tale spotty rash didn’t appear on Millie until after she was admitted to hospital.
Tim warns, “The spots are often the last thing to appear, not the first and they don’t appear in all cases. The best thing to look for is not the rash but whether your child is floppy or unresponsive.”
While some may find the images of young Millie suffering confronting, Tim felt it was important to share her story to warn other parents about the illness and how quickly it can take hold.
Millie has made significant progess over the past week and is recovering well. She is on her last dose of antibiotics and her parents are hoping Millie can get the all-clear from doctors so she can head home and life can return to normal.
