I had meningitis twice when I was just a baby so my story has always been told to me by my family but I know it’s shaped who I am today and has given me a really positive outlook on life. That’s why I’m taking on both the London and Paris Marathons in 2025 to raise awareness, fund vital research and give back to Meningitis Research Foundation.
A mother’s worst nightmare
I was only eighteen weeks old when my mum first noticed something was wrong. I’d just started eating solids and was usually inhaling every meal but suddenly I lost my appetite. I wouldn’t eat or drink, my temperature was really high and then I had a febrile convulsion. That’s when my she called an ambulance.
At the hospital, I had blood tests and a lumbar puncture. When the doctors confirmed meningitis and sepsis, my mum says her blood ran cold. She never suspected meningitis – it was a word that filled her with fear. It turned out to be pneumococcal meningitis and I needed three weeks of IV antibiotics to recover.
Just ten weeks later, at twenty-eight weeks old, it happened again. This time, I had the same symptoms but without the convulsions. My mum knew something was wrong but for two days doctors dismissed her as an overanxious parent. Eventually, tests confirmed that pneumococcal meningitis, the same strain, had returned. My mum felt the same fear and disbelief that it had all happened again. This time, they treated me with a central line and after ten days in hospital, they trained my mum to administer my antibiotics at home. I then had to take prophylactic penicillin until I was five years old which became part of my daily routine.
The first months of my life were a living nightmare for my mum. She lost weight, barely slept and cried constantly. Even after I recovered, she lived in fear - every fever or illness made her think it was happening again. Her advice to parents today is: Don’t just rely on the glass test for meningitis. Trust your instincts and act fast.
Running for Meningitis Research Foundation
Training has been so hard! It’s up there with one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But when training gets tough, I remind myself why I’m doing this. I am fundraising for Meningitis Research Foundation so others don’t have to go through what my mum and I went through. My reason for running is so much stronger than the voice in my head telling me to stop. As long as I cross that finish line, get my medal and raise money for Meningitis Research Foundation, that’s all that matters.
Raising awareness is so important. A lot of people don’t know about meningitis or just how serious it can be. The more stories we share, the more awareness we can raise. For parents like my mum, hearing other people’s experiences can be a comfort – a problem shared is a problem halved.
A full circle moment
My mum actually climbed Ben Vorlich with my grandpa in 1998 to fundraise for Meningitis Research Foundation. When I told her I’d be running for the charity, she was over the moon. It felt like everything had come full circle.
[Left image: Callum's mum and grandpa at the top of Ben Vorlich in 1998. Right image: A recent photo of Callum, his mum and brothers at the top of Ben Vorlich.]
I know I’m lucky. I survived meningitis twice and have gone on to live a fulfilled and happy life. I went on to play football at a semi-professional level, got a scholarship to play in America when I was eighteen years old and have had a successful career working with some incredible people. That wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible work of doctors, researchers and organisations like Meningitis Research Foundation.
I just want to say a massive thanks to Meningitis Research Foundation. If it wasn’t for the work they do behind the scenes, the awareness, treatment and vaccines for meningitis wouldn’t be what they are today and I might not be here.
