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Evie set to run marathon as part of family's fundraising efforts

08.03.10 

HEARTBROKEN parents Lucie Dunbar and Simon Funnell have told of their devastation at losing their precious 18-day-old daughter to meningitis.

The couple, from Kenley, have already raised almost £5,000 for Meningitis UK in memory of Ella Funnell, who died 10 days before Christmas.

Friend Evie Guy, from Surbiton, is running the London Marathon on April 24, they've planned a bike ride from Portsmouth Harbour to Brighton Pier on June 27 and also a football match for September 5.

Lucie, 29, remembered how Ella had been a perfect and contented baby for the first 17 days of her life.

On December 14, Lucie had taken Ella and her older daughter Mia, now three, to a friend's house.

Lucie added: "In the car on the way home Mia kept asking Ella if she was ok. I got the feeling she was picking up on the fact something was wrong.

"Ella was grizzly but was ok when we cuddled her. But at her next feed she didn't want her bottle or dummy. She was making a really loud grunting noise. I thought she must have been a bit constipated and had tummy ache."

Lucie phoned the doctor straight away but there was no answer. Thames Doc called back and advised them to go to the walk-in centre at East Surrey Hospital.

After a 40 minute wait Ella had developed a temperature and was breathing very rapidly. The GP took them straight to Accident and Emergency.

Lucie added: "It was panic stations straight away. At some stage they said it could be meningitis and they were treating her with antibiotics.

"She was transferred to the paediatric intensive car unit at Evelina Children's Hospital that night. She had been fitting and a brain scan revealed she was brain dead.

"We faced the heartbreaking decision of switching her life-support machine off at 2pm once all our family were there."

Ella had died from Group B streptococcus meningitis. GBS is the most common cause of severe infection in newborn babies in the UK. Around 10 per cent of GBS infections develop after the baby is six days old. This is referred to as 'late-onset' GBS, which usually causes meningitis, as in Ella's case.

Lucie said: "Within 24 hours she had gone from being perfectly healthy to us facing the prospect of turning off her life support machine. It's a horrible, horrible disease which is why we're doing our best to help beat it.

"It's been really good to have all the fundraising to focus on after losing Ella. It's been amazing how everyone's rallied round."

Evie Guy, from Surbiton, will be putting her best foot forward in memory of Ella when she pounds the streets for the London marathon on April 24.

The 27-year-old, who ran the marathon in 2007, is confident she will be able to complete the gruelling 26 mile challenge and aims to raise £2,000.

She said: "I ran 16 miles at the weekend and my legs feel ok, so fingers crossed for the big day. I will definitely get round and hope I do it in a good time.

"After Ella's death I knew that I wanted to run for Meningitis UK. It's such a devastating disease and everyone's been shocked by the speed at which it strikes.

"It's heartbreaking what happened and it's good to have the opportunity to do something positive in her memory."

Money raised from everyone's fundraising efforts will go towards Meningitis UK's Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign. It aims to raise £7million to fund vital research into developing a vaccine against all forms of meningitis.

Steve Dayman, who founded Meningitis UK after his son Spencer died from the disease, said: "Evie's running efforts are really remarkable. We're very thankful to her, not just for taking part in the marathon but also for sharing Ella's story and helping to raise awareness of this devastating disease.

"Every penny raised will go towards our single focus - to find a vaccine to eradicate meningitis. Every bit of help is so important in enabling us to continue our vital work.

"Our ultimate goal is to spare people the heartache thousands of families have suffered by losing a loved one to meningitis."

To give money in memory of Ella, please visit www.meningitisuk.tributefunds.com and search for Ella Funnell.

Meningitis UK is offering the public free symptoms information packs to help raise awareness. These include a leaflet with all the facts and frequently asked questions, plus a ‘Check the Symptoms' fridge magnet and handy wallet-sized symptoms cards.

To order your free symptoms information pack or for more information about Meningitis UK, call 0117 373 7373 or visit www.meningitisUK.org.