My son, Aidan, was 17 when he acquired bacterial meningitis. He had just gotten his drivers license and was a senior that completed his high degree and was earning his associates while in high school. Aidan had a reoccurring sinus infection from allergies and most times, antibiotics did not work for him so nasal washes were always prescribed prior to antibiotics.
After work one evening, his boss sent him home and the next morning, he had developed a large baseball size swelling on neck. We scheduled appt with his gp for the next day but we decided to go to er instead, that day. He was told he had mono, the reason for his high fever and wound up telling the nurse that otherwise he was just fine so we left.
Within a couple of days, he could not find his words for things as simple as the tv remote. We went back in to the er and they did a spinal tap, he had bacterial meningitis, coming from within from the sinus infection. He was transported to the Children’s hospital and the next day had surgery on his brain and his forehead removed due to the swelling of his brain. He doesn’t remember anything this six months spent at children’s.
When they performed surgery he suffered a stroke on his frontal lobe, right side and this led to left sided weakness. He has been extremely lucky to survive all of it. He spent months learning how to walk and talk again all the while regaining his strength. As of today, Aidan suffers also now, seizures that are controlled by seizures.
He is also attending the University and is a junior this Fall. Aidan had the meningitis immunizations but was not immune from the sinus infection which led to it.
Today, Aidan remains positive About his recovery and being that he doesn’t remember any of it, he feels that he is doing “what any survivor of this disease would do”.
Deborah Pedersen
July 2023