A mum who lost her little girl to meningitis hopes that a charity they set up in her honour will stop other families from having to go through the same pain.
Siobhan Carroll, 44, from Galway, whose four-year-old daughter Aoibhe died in April 2008 from the infectious disease, said they set up the non-profit charity, ACT for Meningitis, in 2011 in the hope of raising awareness about the potentially killer illness.
Speaking to Miriam O’Callaghan, who was filling in for Sean O’Rourke on RTE Radio One on World Meningitis Day, she recalled the hours leading up to Aoibhe’s death 11 years ago.
Siobhan told how she was in hospital heavily pregnant while her husband Noel looked after their daughter at home.
She said: “Aoibhe was our first born. She was born on the first of January and was a New Year’s baby. She was beautiful and loved life.
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“She loved singing, dancing and shopping. Loved spending time with little kids.
“When I look back now she made the most of her four years, of her time here.
“I was heavily pregnant and was feeling very unwell and they decided to keep me in for the night. I rang them at 9pm that night and said ‘goodnight’ and that I loved them and would see them the next day.”
Siobhan continued: “Unknown to me, Aoibhe went to bed at home with her dad Noel and later on that night she started feeling unwell and started vomiting and having diarrhoea.
“Noel was a bit concerned and rang the out-of-hours service and they said there was a bug going around and to keep an eye on her.
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“As the night went on she fell back asleep but woke up again later and felt unwell. He brought her downstairs and she was lying in his arms watching telly.
“And how he describes it to this day is that she just closed her eyes and he couldn’t wake her.”
“By the time the ambulance had got to Galway, Aoibhe had actually passed away. They tried to revive her but she was gone.
“Just like that our lives changed forever.”
The heartbroken couple have been campaigning ever since to warn parents about the the number-one killer and infectious disease for children under the age of five.
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“My biggest worry was that Aoibhe would be forgotten about and I just wanted her to be remembered.
“Noel said to me if he had an awareness card to look at that night, had he have known more about meningitis, what if?
“So we decided to try and stop other people from having to go through this.”
A high-risk time for the deadly disease is November to February.
Symptoms in babies may include: high temperature, being difficult to wake, vomiting, bulging of the soft spot on the head, fast breathing, cold hands and feet, a high-pitched cry, unusual irritability, not wanting to be handled, and a rash, which does not disappear when a glass is rolled over it.
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“Our message on World Meningitis Day is for people to make themselves more meningitis aware and trust their instincts.
“They know their own child and if they suspect meningitis to seek help straight away because it can save a life.
“Ring your GP and if you are not happy with that get a second opinion and if they are very concerned just go into A&E.
“Through her memory we are helping to save lives.”
