UB40 bassist, Earl Falconer, was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis when he became unwell after returning from a trip to Ibiza.
Earl’s story:
It was September 2023 and I had just returned from Ibiza. It was strange, I had mucus coming out of my nose, but I didn’t have a cold – that was the first symptom. I was really cold, I even had the fire on, even though the weather was really nice - I just thought I had the flu.
A bit worried
My girlfriend was a bit worried about me, so she returned to my house after she’d finished work to come and check on me. There, she found me, delusional.
I had fallen on the floor earlier in the morning and knocked a load of stuff off the kitchen surface. I had managed to get myself back upstairs, but when I was trying to walk down the stairs, I was tumbling down, so she called an ambulance.
Waking up…in Mexico?
I woke up in Walsall Hospital – but I thought I was in Mexico (as I travel a lot with work).
I had been on a ventilator for two weeks and having all sorts of mad dreams. I saw the nurses’ uniforms with ‘NHS’ on them and I remember thinking, ‘Do they have the NHS in Mexico?’ It took me a couple of days to realise I was in the UK.
When I woke up I couldn’t even pick up a glass of water. It was crazy.
I found out later that it had been a few days (from when I was admitted to the hospital) before they found out I had bacterial meningitis, having established that I had been in Ibiza and then from my bloods they worked out that it was a strain of meningitis that had been circulating in Spain throughout the year.
The sickest person in A&E
I was told I could have died, more than once. Apparently, I was the sickest person on the A&E when they admitted me. I had seizures, one of my eyes swelled up to the size of a tennis ball…but I was oblivious to it all. I was going up and down, gradually getting better, but I was out of it.
The band was really worried. We’re like brothers – we’ve been together since before the band (we went to school together). They were all really worried, so were my kids and my girlfriend. It was probably worse for them than it was for me because I wasn’t there (I was on a ventilator). It makes you appreciate them more. I’m proud I got through it and I’m still here.
I certainly went through the mill and I have been recovering, slowly, ever since.
Coming back into a different world
Having had meningitis is demoralising and you come back to a different world, in a way. Anyone who has been on a ventilator will tell you that. You’re put into a dreamlike world, and it can be difficult to adjust. But the people around you love and support you.
You have to take it one day at a time. Things do get better, physically and mentally, as you process what you’ve been through. At the end of the day, I’m happy to be alive. I was told multiple times when I was in hospital that I was lucky to come through it.
The road to recovery
You never know what damage has been done until you get back. About a week or so after being on the ward, my hearing just changed.
Meningitis has damaged my hearing – both ears are damaged in different ways. In one ear, I have lots of treble but no bass or mid (it’s very squeaky, like a tiny megaphone). And in the other ear there is no treble, but I’ve got my mid-range and the bass.
Now when I play some tunes, I can’t really listen to music in a room, and I can’t make out the bass. As I’m a bass player, I find it really hard, but when I wear headphones, I can enjoy music to a point.
Still going through the process of working things out
I’ve been to a few audiologists and I’ve got hearing aids now. They give me distortion on my hearing, so when I play certain tunes, it sounds out of tune, which is the worst thing for a musician.
I’m still going through the process of working it out and trying different things. I can still play in time and everything, but it’s just a bit weird. I am still recovering, so hopefully it’ll get better.
Meningitis has also affected my balance. I can ride a bike – I feel fine. I can drive a car. I’ve got an electric skateboard, I’m fine on that. But walking, or especially running, feels like I’m running through treacle.
It seems to be getting better in tiny increments. That’s where I am at the moment – it’s still an ongoing thing.
When I first came home I was on a Zimmer frame, but I do yoga, so I started the best I could with that – stretching and trying to get as fit as possible.
Hopefully, by next year I’ll be much better again.
Get to the doctor - sharpish
It is important that we defeat meningitis, because it is a horrible disease. Obviously, I was lucky because I beat it, but I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, especially young children.
I didn’t have much knowledge of meningitis before having it, but I do know more about it now and my advice to anyone would be, if you have some of the symptoms, get to the doctors, sharpish. The quicker you can get it treated, the better.
It’s also important to keep researching and coming up with more tests – that would be a game changer.
Sharing helps
It’s nice to talk about meningitis with someone who knows about it, and who has been through the same things.
Given my job and the fact that we’re in the spotlight, I just thought it was important for people to know (my story). Especially for my age group - I’m 65.
There’s support you can get from the doctors. Look after yourself – get your vaccinations to help protect you from it. If you can avoid it, then even better – prevention is better than cure.
Looking ahead
Everybody was surprised how quickly I recovered, but it wasn’t quick for me. When I was walking around it was hard for me. But I’ve come out the other end.
I went back to the hospital afterwards, to say thank you to everyone who helped me, and I plan to do more for them.
For now, I’ve started working again and started being around people. The band did a two month tour of America over the summer of 2024, which was the first time I’d been back on stage, and I’m now about to get back out on the road to tour New Zealand and Australia.
Onwards and upwards
I’m glad to be here! I could’ve died, so honestly, I see it for what it is. Obviously, my hearing has been damaged, but I’m working on it. I’m quite a positive person anyway. I’ve had bad things happen to me before (I had E-coli that nearly killed me) but that’s just life, isn’t it?
Life throws things at you, and you just have to deal with it, like anybody. It’s just one day at a time. Onwards and upwards.
The music thing has taken me a bit of time to get my head around it, but certain music, like dubstep and drum and bass sound ok, so there’s hope for me yet!