Claudia's Story

Claudia’s STORY

My journey began in 2022 when I was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis and septicemia..

Everything happened so quickly. One day at school I began to feel unwell and thought it was just a cold or the flu.

I couldn’t control my body temperature, and by that night I was getting worse. I was in pain, my head was pounding, I was vomiting, and nothing I did made me feel any better.

By the next morning, I had developed an excruciating headache and sensitivity to light.

My mum checked for a rash and noticed small spots on my leg and arm—nothing like the usual meningitis rash, but enough to make her concerned.

She called Healthline and was told to see a doctor within 24 hours, but I am so lucky she didn’t wait. She put me straight in the car and drove me to the emergency department.

By then I was completely out of it delusional, screaming, and in unbearable pain. I was given antibiotics, which saved my life, and then placed into an induced coma. I was flown by helicopter from Dunedin to Christchurch Hospital to see a brain surgeon.

Everything escalated so fast that when we arrived, the doctor told my mum I was extremely lucky to be alive as my vitals had been dropping so quickly that they said I only had minutes left before I would have died.

My brain was under severe pressure from the fluid that had built up and my condition was critical that the doctors needed to work out the best way to treat me as a spinal tap wasn't an option.

For 40 hours I remained in an induced coma giving them vital time to decide on the best treatment plan, and thankfully the antibiotics I had been given to relieve the pressure worked so I didn't need surgery.

When I finally woke up, I did not know where I was or why I was in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a different city.

I was still very sick, and everything around me felt strange and overwhelming. During my time in ICU, I was unable to move, had a catheter in place, and was fed through a feeding tube. Even my senses felt different my hearing, eyesight, and sense of taste had all changed. I was transferred back to Dunedin Hospital by air ambulance once my condition had stabilised, as I still required close monitoring and had developed a lung and chest infection.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I found it difficult to come to terms with everything that had happened. I was sixteen years old, in my second to last year of high school, preparing for exams. I had always been a high achiever, competitive, and very social and I found the challenges to my body especially challenging.

My recovery was slow and exhausting. I was bedridden at home for about five weeks, barely able to walk, eat, or hear properly, and my vision had changed. My school routine looked completely different, and I could only manage half days for the next couple of months until the end of the year, due to extreme fatigue.

As someone who loved being around people, I found it extremely tough when friends would visit and show me photos of their adventures, while all I could do was stay home and process what I'd been through.

After about six months, I began to feel more like myself again. My eyesight, hearing, and taste recovered to about 90 percent, and I was so fortunate not to be left with severe long-term effects. Still, I continue to struggle with fatigue, concentration, and the impact on my mental health, especially health anxiety whenever I start feeling unwell. It feels similar to living with a brain injury.

Through it all, I am so grateful I have had the amazing support of my friends and family and friends, and I remind myself often how lucky I am to still be here today.

I am now 19 and studying at the University of Otago. Since being sick, I’ve made it a priority to raise awareness about meningitis and meningococcal disease in my community, both at high school and now at university.

In my final year of high school, I presented on the disease. Before I got sick, I hadn’t heard of it, and most people hadn’t either. I wanted to talk to how serious it is and the importance of vaccinations, I later heard that most people went and got vaccinated.

I share my story to help spread awareness, encourage education, and hopefully inspire more people to get vaccinated against meningitis.