April 24, 2012–I’ve got a few things wrong with me. I’m not even 30 but I’ve had my share of trips to the hospital, doctor, specialist, you name it. I’ve got a mild heart condition, an auto immune type disease, a bum knee. I’ve had H1N1, pneumonia, concussions. One of the first times I was sick, I wasn’t even 2. I had Meningitis. Today is World Meningitis Day, and around the globe, patients, doctors and families all come together to join hands in the fight to find better ways to fight this disease.
The Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada is our national arm of many organizations that work together with researchers and health care provides to better understand Meningitis so that the future is a place where this disease doesn’t elicit fear and suffering for those who are faced with it. Meningitis is when the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord become seriously inflamed. It can become fatal if not treated, within hours in some cases. People who survive Meningitis can have serious to severe permanent damage, including deafness, blindness, paralysis or brain damage causing mental retardation. In infants and children, this disease progresses rapidly, in fact so rapidly that without immediate medical attention the odds of surviving are low. Viral Meningitis is common and less severe, with Bacterial Meningitis being more fatal. It’s spread just like cold or flu germs, so being diligent when those germs are more likely (when people are coughing and sneezing) is the best way to avoid or catch symptoms early.
I’m really blessed that I was able to get treatment and haven’t had to deal with any of the serious consequences of the disease. Today, remember that something that starts like a flu has turned the lives of families upside down as their loved ones go from fine to worse to gone–please visit the Meningitis Foundation of Canada to learn about Meningitis and it’s symptoms as well as to find ways that you can donate to the work they are doing here in Canada.
365 Days. 365 Causes. 