Sadie's Story
SADIE’S STORY
In October 2025, our beautiful six-week-old daughter Sadie was diagnosed with meningococcal disease and septicaemia.
Sadie had been unwell for about a week with what seemed like a mild cold. She had a runny nose, a slight cough, and no high temperatures. Nothing that felt overly concerning. We thought it may of been a preschool bug our son had brought home. But because she was only six weeks old, I wanted to get her checked. I wasn’t able to get a GP appointment, so I decided to take her to after-hours to be assessed.
At after-hours, the doctor told us her obs were slightly elevated but nothing to be concerned about. We were reassured and sent home with advice to keep an eye on her.
But the moment we got home, something didn’t feel right.
As soon as I took Sadie out of her car seat, I had this horrible feeling something wasn’t right. She looked lifeless as she stared at me. She was making grunting noises when she breathed, and her breathing didn’t seem normal. She felt hot to touch.
Sadie had often been a bit mottled as a newborn, but this was different — more spread across her whole body and very prevalent. It is not till now when I look back at photos and notice how bad it was
My partner and I both agreed she didn’t seem okay so I decided to call my mum and ask her to come over. I remember second-guessing myself because just an hour earlier, a medical professional had told me she was fine. But when my mum arrived, she immediately agreed — Sadie wasn’t okay.
We made the decision to take her straight to Christchurch Hospital, while my partner stayed home with our toddler. We thought we would be in and out within a couple of hours.
When we arrived to the hospital the lady at reception noticed how sick Sadie was and walked us down to the children’s emergency - she seemed worried for us. We initially saw a junior doctor who seemed a little unsure about Sadie’s condition so decided it would be best to check with her boss about our next steps, but despite that, it still took around 1–2 hours for her to be seen again.
Then everything escalated very quickly.
A senior doctor came to assess Sadie and immediately recognised she was seriously unwell. We were rushed into a resuscitation room, where there were around 10 medical staff surrounding us.
They explained to us that our daughter was very sick and they needed to take some blood samples from her. Sadie was treated for septic shock and required urgent resuscitation, including IV fluids and IV antibiotics. Due to Sadie being so sick they struggled to find a vein, which made the situation even worse. I remember standing there watching my little girl being poked and proded with countless needles while trying to find a vein. I had never felt so helpless in my life. I just wanted to pick up my little girl and magically make her all better. More and more people came into the room. I remember hearing the word “Starship” being mentioned alongside “meningitis”. My mum then left the room followed by a doctor. The doctor said to my mum “she is one very sick baby and we think it’s a good idea you call in her dad”.
I remember my mum walking back into the room crying telling me she has called George and my Dad (Sadie’s Poppa) to come in. I knew things weren’t good. I vividly remember George and my dad arriving to the hospital, my dad standing at the windows crying watching all these doctors and nurses around Sadie - it was a horrible experience for everyone and I’m so grateful we had my parents there to support us.
We were then transferred to the high dependency unit where Sadie was very closely monitored. Hooked up to monitors 24/7 and constantly being checked on by her medical team. Sadie’s blood cultures later came back positive for meningococcal disease (Neisseria meningitidis). She underwent a lumbar puncture to check for meningitis, which thankfully came back clear.
A few days later we had the public health team come visit us to trace back all of Sadie’s close contacts who were then offered antibiotics and immunisations.
We ended up spending a week in hospital and had the most amazing medical staff, we couldn’t fault them. We were all cared for so well.
Before we were discharged, the doctor who saved Sadie’s life came to see us.
She told me that if I hadn’t listened to my mother’s instinct and brought Sadie into hospital that night, it is very likely I would have woken up to a dead baby.
That is something that has never left me.
At the time, everything happened so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to process it. Even now, I still struggle with what happened. Hospitals bring back a lot of trauma for me, and as a parent, this experience has left a lasting mark.
Before this happened, I had heard of meningococcal disease, but I didn’t truly understand what it was. I knew it was serious, but I had no idea how quickly it could take hold or what the warning signs looked like.
Sadie’s symptoms appeared suddenly, and she went downhill incredibly fast. One minute she seemed okay, and the next, she was lifeless, grunting, breathing strangely, hot to touch, and far more mottled than usual. In just a short time, my little baby went from seeming mildly unwell to fighting for her life.
Meningococcal disease doesn’t always look dramatic at first. It can start like a mild cold, especially in babies, and then escalate rapidly.
If there is one thing I want other parents to take from our story, it’s this: trust your instincts. You know your child better than anyone. Even if you’ve been reassured, even if you feel like you’re overreacting go back, get a second opinion, and keep pushing until you feel heard.
Trusting my instinct saved my daughter’s life.
Raising awareness matters. Knowing the signs matters. Acting quickly matters. Because sometimes, it can be the difference between life and death.
