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Walkers inspired by Ella's recovery

25.05.11

DEADLY disease meningitis left Bristol toddler Ella Gazard in a coma fighting for her life just hours after happily running around at nursery.

She was just 14-months-old when she was struck down by the killer brain bug in February last year but has battled back to full health thanks to expert care at both Frenchay and Bristol Children's Hospital.

Her parents Stephen and Claire Gazard are now sharing their experiences to encourage people to sign up for Meningitis UK's Summer Stroll event on June 18.

Around 200 walkers are expected to walk the 13-mile route between Keynsham and Ashton Gate Stadium, aiming to raise £20,000 towards life-saving vaccine research.

Stephen, 34, has just become a trustee at the Downend-based charity and says the events of last year have prompted them to take action to help beat the disease.

He said: "Ella had just learnt to walk and was running around happily at nursery at 12noon. Literally six hours later she had a fit in front of our eyes after the doctor had misdiagnosed an ear infection.

"Thankfully we live across the common from Frenchay Hospital so we got her there in minutes, which undoubtedly helped to save her life.

"We now know only too well what a horrible disease meningitis is and how it can potentially take someone's life within hours.

"We're lucky that Ella was treated so quickly but the value of a vaccine is all too evident - we need to protect people from this killer bacteria and safeguard precious lives in the future."

Stephen recalls how they will be forever indebted to the vigilance of the family's nanny Rachel Brown who had been concerned when Ella became clingy after nursery and Calpol wasn't helping to lower her high temperature.

She took Ella to the doctors when a pinprick rash began to appear but he didn't check the rash and diagnosed an ear infection.

Stephen, who had come home, instantly saw how ill the toddler was. He sprung into action when she began to fit and rushed her to Frenchay's A&E department.

He said: "They stripped her down and we could see the pin pricks covering her body. I knew then that she had meningitis.

"It all happened so quickly that we couldn't really take the whole situation in. The adrenaline kicked in and it didn't really hit us just how ill she was until much later."

Ella was transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital and, under the expert care of Professor Andrew Wolf in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, she was put into an induced coma.

She was diagnosed with meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia, caused by the group B strain of the disease for which there is no vaccine.

Stephen, who is the managing director of Lighthouse Advisory Services, added: "It hit us just how ill she was when we walked through the double doors into intensive care. The vision that greeted us was truly gut-wrenching as we saw Ella wired up to what felt like every machine in the hospital.

"Thankfully she stabilised and was gradually taken off the machines so she could breathe on her own again.

"After four days she was out of the woods and doctors were confident she would be ok.

"A girl in a wheelchair came up to us in the ward to say she'd also had meningitis and we realised she had lost her legs, which is when it really hit home to us just how different the outcome might have been."

Ella completed her course of antibiotics and was soon back at home, chasing her five-year-old brother Callum without a care in the world.

She's now a bright three-year-old and has made a full recovery after the traumatic ordeal.

Stephen and Claire expressed their thanks to the medical teams at both Frenchay and Bristol Children's Hospital for "giving the best care and support possible".

Now they're hoping Ella's story will inspire people to join Meningitis UK's Summer Stroll.

Stephen added: "It's a well-established event in Bristol now and, having seen photos from previous events, it looks like a great day out.

"We're really looking forward to it and hope people in Bristol will get behind such an important cause."

• The sixth Summer Stroll kicks off at the Lock Keeper pub in Keynsham at 9.30am on Saturday, June 18, before following the canal down the Avon walkway, through Hanham Lock and up around Broom Hill.
• After going around the Conham River Park and through the Avon Valley Woodlands Nature Reserve, walkers will head towards Queen Square for a well-earned BBQ.
• The next stage will go to College Green, up Park Street, through Victoria Square and over the Suspension Bridge and through Ashton Court before finishing at Ashton Gate stadium.

To join in the Summer Stroll, or for more information, call Laura Bullock on 0117 373 7373, e-mail laurabullock@meningitisUK.org or visit www.meningitisuk.org/summerstroll