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At three months old Crumlin man was at death's
door, 53 years later he's raising money to defeat illness
A CRUMLIN man who suffered an almost fatal
bout of Meningitis when he was just three months-old plans to
raise �10,000 for Meningitis Trust.
The first of David Flowerday's many
fundraising events will be an 85 mile run around Lough Neagh on
June 27.
David (53) had always wanted to take on a
personal challenge for Meningitis Trust; to raise vital funds
and awareness of the disease.
The self-employed landscape gardener recalled
how he spent 19 days at Purdysburn Hospital suffering from the
potentially fatal condition.
He did not have the usual symptoms of a rash
but he was gravely ill with a pale complexion. His eyes were
rolling around and he made a high pitched whining noise.
David explained: "My parents did not like the
look of me. As we did not have a car, or a phone, my father had
to run for a mile round to the doctor's surgery and into the
room where he was with a patient. When he heard what the
symptoms were the doctor left the patient he was with and rushed
back to see me.
"There was no ambulance so my grandfather,
who had a car, drove me straight into the hospital in Belfast."
David remained 'at death's door' for 19 days
and his name appeared in a news column dedicated to the sick and
dying.
His parents were told afterwards he had
suffered from bacterial meningitis which proves fatal in 10% of
cases.
Luckily he made a full recovery and explained
he wanted to raise money for a charity that helped people
affected by the horrible disease. "I was very lucky to have made
a good recovery, but others are not so fortunate," he said.
The Meningitis Trust - the UK's longest
established meningitis charity - helps people who are struggling
to cope with the impact of meningitis. A recent survey
discovered 13,900 people living in Northern Ireland today have
had either viral or bacterial meningitis.
Kelly Shaw, Northern Ireland Fundraiser for
the Meningitis Trust said: "We are so grateful to people like
David, who take on huge challenges to raise awareness and funds
for us.
We rely completely on voluntary donations to
continue our work, so David's efforts are really valued. His
passion to fight back against meningitis is an inspiration to us
all � we wish him the best of luck."
To find out more about meningitis or the work
of the Meningitis Trust, log on to
www.meningitis-trust.org or call their 24-hour freephone
helpline on 0800 028 18 28.
mary.magee@jpress.co.uk
Ulster Star
20/06/2008
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