Meningitis - "They told us to prepare for the worst"

Mary Baron and her family were enjoying a holiday in Tenerife when tragedy struck – her three-year-old grandson, Kyle, caught bacterial meningitis.

"We'd been out for our evening meal when Kyle seemed to become unwell. We decided to return to our apartment so that we could put him to bed. 

"During the night Kyle was moaning. He had a high temperature and he'd been sick. I was worried he might have meningitis, so I checked his body for a rash. He didn't have one. I gave him some Calpol and put him back to bed.

"By the morning, Kyle was delirious. We called a doctor, who immediately suspected meningitis and ordered an ambulance. It wasn't until Kyle arrived at the hospital that the rash – which I knew was one of the signs of meningitis – began to appear.

"In hospital, we were deeply distressed when we were told that Kyle had as little as a 1% chance of surviving. They told us to prepare for the worst. Unless you've been in that situation yourself, you just can't understand how desperate it feels to be told your child or grandchild is probably going to die.

"Thankfully, Kyle proved the doctors wrong, and against all the odds he carried on fighting the disease, which raged through his body. Six weeks later, Kyle flew back from Tenerife to Sheffield Children's Hospital in an air ambulance. There, the doctors decided that to save Kyle's life, all four of his limbs needed to be amputated.

"The operation was a success and Kyle's condition began to improve. A few months later, he was allowed to go home to begin the long recuperation.

"Kyle now attends a special school in Sheffield. People are amazed by him and how positive he is. He's a normal young boy who likes doing things that all other young boys do, such as watching football, playing video games and spending time with his friends.

"Kyle is an upbeat, positive and loving lad. He's got a great personality, and he wants to be a comedian when he grows up. I hope he'll succeed in that, because he's already an inspiration to me and to everyone who meets him."