Grieving parents' plea after losing Alicja
GREIVING parents from Barrow Gurney have made an impassioned plea for people to trust their instincts if they suspect meningitis – after losing their daughter last month.
Anna Purska and Nick Dancy are urging people to listen to Meningitis UK's campaign after they lost their 14-month-old, Alicja, to meningitis and septicaemia.
They were visiting Anna's parents in Poland with her 14-year-old son Filip, when the tiny tot showed a slightly raised temperature and was a little whingey.
Suspecting she was teething, they nursed her back to sleep but she awoke in the middle of the night and vomited. She appeared short of breath and was making grunting noises.
After speaking to a doctor on the telephone, the worried couple called an ambulance, which then took them to hospital. After being transferred to another hospital, doctors examined Alicja and said they suspected septicaemia.
Although medics gave the infant antibiotics, sadly the disease overwhelmed her little body and her heart stopped beating the following evening at about 10pm on January 28.
Nick said: "Meningitis is the last thing we suspected when Alicja seemed poorly – we thought she was just teething. Then it all happened so quickly.
"When the doctor said he thought it was septicaemia, my heart just sank.
"We felt so helpless seeing our little angel so ill. She looked terrible, bruised like she had been in a fight – nothing could have prepared me for this sight and I will do anything I can to stop other parents from going through this nightmare.
"I urge anyone to be aware of the symptoms of meningitis and trust your instincts as it can all happen so fast – you must act quickly."
A Meningitis UK-commissioned survey reveals that 58 per cent of people in the Westcountry trust GPs implicitly compared to just three per cent for bankers, two per cent for politicians with none implicitly trusting estate agents and journalists.
However, findings also show that only 34 per cent of people in the South West will trust their instincts and take further action if they are still worried after receiving advice from a doctor.
The charity wants people to have the confidence to trust their instincts if they suspect meningitis and to keep pushing at the doctor's surgery if they still suspect the disease.
Cases of the disease traditionally peak in February and Meningitis UK is advising people to know the symptoms and keep checking if they suspect signs of the disease which attacks the body quickly.
Meningitis can strike down anyone, of any age, in less than four hours.
During colder months when immune systems are weakened and viruses circulate, dangerous bacterial forms of meningitis strike.
Chief executive at Meningitis UK, Kate Rowland said: "What happened to Alicja highlights the devastation this terrible disease can cause.
"Everyone at Meningitis UK has been touched by Nick and Anna's strength and desire to help other people by spreading awareness of meningitis and backing this campaign.
"It is fantastic that people have so much trust in their GPs, however on average a doctor will see one case of meningitis in their whole career and the symptoms are notoriously difficult to diagnose.
"This is why we want to work with GPs to help them spot meningitis by encouraging people to trust their instincts and have the confidence to question and re-question the doctor if at all in doubt. People know themselves and their children best.
"The disease can progress very quickly after visiting the doctor so it's important to keep checking for the symptoms and to re-seek urgent medical attention if they appear."
The classic signs of meningitis are a headache, stiff neck and dislike of bright lights. Other symptoms include fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, and confusion and drowsiness.
Symptoms typical of septicaemia which can also occur are cold hands and feet, leg pain and abnormal skin colour.
The early symptoms of meningitis are often confused with the common cold and the specific symptoms such as the rash often appear late.
Babies and young children can't say how they're feeling so it's important to look out for other symptoms such as a high pitched cry, dislike of being handled, blotchy skin, pale or turning blue, a bulging soft spot on the baby's head or poor feeding.
The charity is offering the public a free fridge magnet which, for the first time, separates the specific and general symptoms of the disease.
Nick will be taking part in a skydive later in the year in memory of Alicja and people can donate directly to her online Forever Fund in support of Meningitis UK at: www.meningitisuk.tributefunds.com/fund/Alicja+Dancy
To request your free symptoms fridge magnet or to find out more about Meningitis UK's Search 4 A Vaccine Campaign, call 0117 947 6320 or visit: www.meningitisuk.org
MeningitisUK · Registered Charity No.1076774
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