Mum's meningitis plea
Ashleigh Burns • Published 27 Sep 2012 17:00
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Mum Sharon with daughter Lucy Hutchinson at St Bernadette's Primary School.
AN ALLOA mum whose tot survived Meningitis hopes to spread an important message - trust your instincts.
Little Lucy Hutchinson was diagnosed with Meningococcal Meningitis just before turning one.
She spent 52 days in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, her condition was so severe she was read her last rites on her first birthday.
Doctors had to amputate the toddler's toes, half of her right foot, parts of her shin and fingers down to her knuckle.
Now, at two-and-a-half, she is deemed to be well but sees around 12 specialists to help with her recovery.
As a result of her battle with the disease mum and dad - Sharon and Craig - have become volunteers with the Meningitis Trust.
They want to give something back to the charity that helped them and are keen to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms than can accompany Meningitis.
Kick-starting the campaign was a talk at St Bernadette's Primary School in Tullibody as part of Meningitis Week.
Children were given a presentation on Friday (21 September) about what to look out for and Sharon hopes it will be the first of many school visits.
She said, "I thought it went very well. I thought it was pitched ok and the kids had a lot of questions. There was a good question and answer session at the end.
"They didn't seem overly scared by the information they were given and seemed to have taken it on board.
"It was really about awareness of the signs and symptoms of Meningitis. And that the signs and symptoms such as the rash are not the only ones - because Lucy never had a rash, she only had a temperature."
The RE and philosophy teacher would like to target other schools in the Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling areas and is looking for volunteers to help.
The mum-of-three emphasised, "It's better to be wrong than too late.
"I just want to make sure that what happened to Lucy could hopefully be prevented for other children in the area."
"The fact is that if I had been more aware of signs and not looking for a rash, we might have gotten medical treatment quicker which might have resulted in her having less amputations."
And to anyone who might have concerns she said, "Trust your instincts. If you know something is not right, trust your instincts and do what you think is right."
This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 26 Sep 12
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