Llanelli mother is raising awareness of meningitis

A Llanelli mother is raising awareness of meningitis and raising money for the ward her son was treated on.
Claire John’s son Liam was struck down with meningitis in April 2014 but luckily has made a full recovery.
Her friends and family have helped her raise £555 for Cilgerran ward in Glangwili Hospital after her son was treated on the ward.

This amount is also being match-funded by Barclay Bank’s Community Investment Programme bringing the total raised to £1,100.
Claire and her family are also keen to raise awareness of the illness.

Claire said: "The word Meningitis is a word all parents dread to hear. Liam was rushed to Glangwili Hospital where the team were fantastic and sorted Liam out. They kept updating us in what they were doing and we stayed at Liam’s side the whole time."
Following his admission to Glangwili Hospital Liam was moved to Paediatric Intensive Care at the Heath Hospital Cardiff where he spent three days before being moved onto a ward. Liam then returned to Glangwili Hospital to finish his course of antibiotics.
Although anyone of any age can get meningitis, babies and young children are often affected.

The signs and symptoms to look out for in your child are:

• a very high fever with cold hands and feet 
• they may feel agitated but not want to be touched 
• they may cry continuously 
• some children can become very sleepy and it may be difficult to wake them up 
• they may appear confused and unresponsive 
• they may develop a blotchy red rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it 

It is important to note that not everyone will get all of the above symptoms.
If you notice any of the symptoms of meningitis, particularly in young children, seek medical help immediately.
Claire added: "We were lucky that Liam was diagnosed in time and I appeal to all parents to be aware of the symptoms as it could save their child's life."

Hywel Dda Health Charities is a registered charity which supports the work of Hywel Dda University Health Board which provides NHS healthcare services to a population of around 372,000 people across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
Our aim is to raise more than £2million per year to help keep the university health board’s services at the highest standards by:
• Supporting healthy living and health promotion
• Helping to maintain the best possible environment for care, including building and refurbishing hospital and community facilities
• Funding the most up-to-date equipment
• Supporting the training and development of staff
• Supporting research into, and development of, treatments

The fundraising team would love to hear from you to discuss how you can support Hywel Dda Health Charities: Tel: 01267 239 815
Email: Fundraising.HywelDda@wales.nhs.uk
www.hywelddahealthcharities.org.uk