Ellie Challis is a quadruple amputee, having contracted bacterial meningitis as a baby. She is now a World Champion paralympic swimmer, who won a silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics and a gold medal in the 50m backstroke event at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Ellie has recently supported Meningitis Research Foundation on the Meningitis Flag, a unique symbol created to raise awareness of meningitis, how to protect yourself from it, what is needed to support survivors and their families, and the action that is needed to defeat it.
She says:
When everything happened with meningitis, I was so unaware. It’s a horrible illness that takes so many lives. Raising awareness of it is so important.
Growing up, it was always something that was easily spoken about. I’ve heard my Dad talking about our story to junior doctors and other doctors speak about me, so no details have ever been hidden.
I have always seen photos of myself - one of my favourite photos I have is one of me smiling, and it was taken just after my amputations.
It was helpful to have everything out in the open, and it was normal, I never knew anything different.
As a family, we’ve always been pretty resilient. My attitude is that I can do what I can do and figure out what I can or can’t control. And from that, I do what I want to do.
This has definitely helped me and made me confident in what I do.
Representation matters
I was really inspired by the film Dolphin Tale (the true story of Winter the dolphin, who learned to swim again using a prosthetic, having had her injured tail removed to save her life). I was so lucky to be able to go and meet her a few times. Knowing that she swam differently made such a difference to me at age eight - it was just when I was learning to swim.
In the sporting world, I always looked up to Ellie Simmonds. Growing up, I watched the Paralympics in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016, and there was no one in my classification. I’m happy that now I’m in it, that it’s being shown.
I’ve had such great support and there are things in my future that I hope to be able to help with. I hope that there will be some changes that I can help with to make other people's lives easier.
Making connections
It helped a lot to meet people (at Meningitis Research Foundation events) who were similar to me – especially when I was young, it was good having someone to play with who couldn’t do the same things as you. I had great friends at school, but it was always nice to meet people who were like me.
Now I also swim with someone who has had meningitis as well - it’s nice to have someone to train with.
A lot more to come
I have heard what my parents said about when I was ill. It’s important that I share my story because it’s important to see that my life has become something.
People see the swimming but, if they follow me on Instagram, they’ll see that I do a lot more than just swim. I’m very independent, and I can show people there is a lot more you can do. I want people to know your life isn’t over.
Meningitis can affect you in every way possible, but your life isn’t over. There is more that can be made of it and a lot more to come.
Ellie Challis
September 2024
Ellie’s dad, Paul Challis, has also kindly shared his story. Read it here.