Littlehampton Museum’s Juliet displays her courage again

Juliet, then a 19-year-old student at Liverpool University, had to fight for her life after contracting bacterial meningitis, and spent two weeks in Worthing Hospital.

She was one of only nine people to survive with no serious disabilities out of a group of 60-70 across the country who were affected by the illness that year, although she suffered minor hearing loss, a slight deterioration in eyesight and headaches caused by scar tissue.

Now Juliet, the curator of Littlehampton Museum, is marking the 10th anniversary of her almost complete recovery by raising funds for the Meningitis Trust through her sponsored abseil, on May 27.

Saved

Looking back, she says with gratitude: “I was saved only by the tireless work of the staff at Worthing Hospital and my wonderful family.

“I was coming home from Liverpool for the Easter holidays, got on the train, and it happened in an instant. I started feeling cold and remember complaining to the Virgin Trains guard, who gave me a free hot drink.”

Although by the time she arrived home in Littlehampton she was feeling very ill, neither Juliet nor her parents David and Kathy realised how serious the situation was. Even when a paramedic called to see her in the night, and gave her strong medication, she chose to stay at home rather than go to hospital.

“The next morning it was quite clear I wasn’t well at all and I did go to hospital then. I was semi-conscious and on painkillers for a few days, and can’t remember much about it, apart from the awful pain in my head,” she said.

Almost died

“It was only later I found out that my parents were told I might not pull through, that I might die. It must have been terrible for them.”

Once she had fully recovered, Juliet, who had been inoculated against the same C strain of meningitis while at Chatsmore High School, Goring, took part in a medical study which established there may have been a fault in the batch of vaccine she had been given.

Juliet looks back, with relief, at her escape from the worst effects. “This disease, if it doesn’t kill you, can leave sufferers with serious disabilities, which can often be complicated, and require on-going support for life. The disease strikes suddenly, with no warning, and with great severity.

“Very often life is never the same after meningitis strikes; for the individual or their family. The Meningitis Trust gives them the strength to rebuild their lives. Once meningitis strikes, the trust cannot change what has happened, but it gives people ways of taking control of their lives once again.”

And Juliet has another big occasion to look forward to in July, when she marries her fiancé Jim Thomas.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Juliet can do so online by clicking here.