Lyndon Longhorn

Aged 9 Months
Survivor

As a young County Durham mum Tammy Shevels helplessly watched meningitis ravage her nine-month-old son’s little body, she feared the worst.

But Lyndon Longhorne defied the doctor’s predictions and beat the deadly brain bug, although it caused septicaemia – a form of blood poisoning – which meant his legs, a hand and several fingers needed to be amputated to save his life.

Lyndon has grown into a courageous 13-year-old, living life to the full with aspirations of swimming at the Paralympics.

Tammy, who was just 18 when Lyndon fell ill, remembers how she recognised the signs of meningitis thanks to the nursery nursing diploma she was studying.

She said: “He was really restless during the night. In the morning he was pale and floppy, refusing his food. I took him to the doctors straight away by which time his temperature was 39.9 degrees.

“The GP asked if I had tried Calpol, which I hadn’t because I suspected meningitis. I lied and said I had, which luckily prompted them to send Lyndon to hospital for observation.

“That night I asked the nurses to give him paracetamol to keep his temperature down, which is when I noticed two red spots on his chest. They were so small and not even close to each other but they set alarms bells ringing.”

The doctors confirmed the poorly tot had developed septicaemia, which quickly began to spread throughout his body.

Tammy collapsed through shock. She was later advised to see Lyndon as his condition continued to deteriorate.

She explained: “Straight away I thought he wasn’t going to make it. Everyone was stressing how seriously ill he was. When I saw him his legs were just black. It was like I was living a nightmare and waiting for someone to wake me.

“The doctors didn’t expect him to pull through at all. But he hung on and after a couple of days I was asked by the doctors for permission to take photographs of him. They said it was so rare to see a child still alive at this stage and that it would help people who are training to be doctors and nurses.”

Medical experts soon delivered the devastating news that his legs would have to be amputated because septicaemia had caused irreversible damage.

Lyndon lost his right leg above the knee, his left leg below the knee, his right hand and some fingers on his left hand.

Meningococcal septicaemia occurs when meningococcal bacteria enter the blood stream and multiply uncontrollably, poisoning the blood and completely overwhelming the immune system damaging the blood vessels, tissues and organs.

Approximately a fifth of cases will result in death and because blood vessels haemorrhage and the circulation does not reach the extremities, like hands and feet, the only way to save lives is to amputate limbs.

Despite receiving his first pair of prosthetic legs at a young age, Lyndon is still happier without them and gets involved with all the activities his peers enjoy, like rock climbing and swimming – a sport which he’s naturally talented at and hopes to compete in at the Paralympics one day.

His family have a set of photographs taken from when Lyndon was in hospital in August 1996 and say they are a permanent reminder of how lucky they are to still have him.

Tammy, who now has two young sons, said: “The photos help both of us to accept what happened. They show just how seriously ill he was and why he needed to have his limbs amputated. We know that he’s very, very lucky to be here.

“He doesn’t complain about anything or question why this had to happen to him. He’s an inspiration, not just for children but adults too.”