Woman who lost all her limbs to meningitis issues desperate warning after UK outbreak
A teenager has opened up about losing her limbs after contracting meningitis as a child.
Charlotte Williams was handed the heartbreaking news she would need life-changing surgery just hours after developing a fever.
The 18-year-old was infected with Meningitis when she was just two years old, with her family noticing she had a high temperature but not thinking much of it.
The next morning, her parents were shocked to find her covered in a purple rash, and rushed their daughter to hospital, where she was put onto a breathing tube and placed in a medically induced coma, as doctors revealed that she was suffering with Meningitis.
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Charlotte has now shared her story just days after it was reported that two people have died, and at least 11 more were confirmed infected, following an outbreak of meningitis and septicaemia at the University of Kent.
The strain has been confirmed to be the same as Charlotte's, Meningitis B.
Charlotte, from Oxford, UK, said doctors thought her time was up, sharing: "The whites in my eyes were turning yellow, the hospital was about a five minute drive, and whilst we were on the way to the hospital in the ambulance, they took me off of the hospital bed and put me in my mum's arms, because they thought that that was it, it had completely taken over my body within eight hours overnight."
It was 2010 when she caught the disease, five years before a vaccine was rolled out, so doctors needed to amputate her limbs before she'd even turned three.
"I would always ask my mum, 'When are my hands and feet gonna grow back?'" she tells us, claiming that having her limbs amputated came with a number of other health issues.
"Because I was a child, I was growing so much, and obviously you're born with limbs, but my bones would still try and grow."
She goes on: "It was just a lot of like, trial and error, I had to learn to do everything.
"I had to learn how to feed myself, everything like that. So it was difficult. I would say the first 10 years of my life were very chaotic and it was just all about just adapting again."
This meant Charlotte had over 35 operations by the time she was 10, as it 'took a while' to get her prosthetic legs just right, as she explains: "The bones would grow through the skin, and they would have to shorten the bones, I would also get infections in my legs - it was varying all the time."
Adult amputees are faced with a number of health issues, with these appearing more common: persistent pain, skin complications at the residual limb, reduced mobility, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Reacting to the recent outbreak in Kent, Charlotte says it feels 'surreal'.
"I think a lot of people just don't have the vaccine and it's so important, because if it was available when I got it, I probably would not have contracted it," she points out.
The teen says she 'was a healthy child', but with there being no vaccine, her situation rapidly progressed within hours, admitting she was 'lucky' to have come out of it alive.
She adds: "I don't think a lot of people realise how serious it is and how easy it is to catch meningitis."
You can contract bacterial meningitis through saliva, kissing, or coughing, especially if you're not vaccinated.
Charlotte says she would have been 'a completely different person' if she didn't go through that health battle as a child, though she is now 'confident and independent' after a 'very long and difficult road'.
"As I start to get older, there are problems that I'm going to have that all amputees have. And obviously, it's completely changed my life," the teenager admits.
As for her condition, Charlotte admits people can be quite surprised by how much she can do herself, explaining: "It's not in mainstream media and when people meet me, they're so shocked that I can do everything for myself."
She's now urging people to get the vaccine.
"It's so important that if you can get the vaccine, get it, because that's the only thing that can prevent this disease," she says. "There's no cure for this disease.
"I know that some people aren't offered it and some people can't get it, but if you can, you're also protecting people that are not offered the vaccine. It's also important to know the signs of the illness as well."
According to the NHS, the symptoms of meningitis include the below, but not everyone will experience all of them:
- Fever
- A very bad headache
- Vomiting
- Stiff neck
- Dislike of bright lights
- Rash
- Confusion or delirium
- Severe sleepiness, losing consciousness
- Fits
A timeline of the Kent meningitis outbreak
Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 March
The outbreak has been linked to Canterbury nightclub Club Chemistry. The club has closed voluntarily until further notice.
Friday 13 March
The first case of meningitis, a University of Kent student, is reported to the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA).
Saturday 14 March
A second case is identified in France, this time, someone who attended the University of Kent. Back in the UK, hospitals report a number of young people presenting with meningitis symptoms. Contact tracing begins.
Sunday 16 March
It is confirmed that two people have died after being infected with meningitis - one a student at the University of Kent and the other a sixth former in year 13. A public health alert is issued. The total number of cases is 13.
Monday 17 March
Health Secretary Wes Streeting addresses parliament, calling the meningitis outbreak 'unprecedented'.
He announces a targeted vaccination programme for students living in halls at the University of Kent. Preventative antibiotics are issued to University of Kent students; those who attended Club Chemistry between 5 and 7 March; and close contacts of people who have fallen ill.
The total number of cases is 15.
Wednesday 18 March
In the latest update from UKHSA, the total number of cases is 20.
Joshua Nair