Jonathan P Foreman's story

Hello, I found this website very helpful in doing research and continuing to understand meningitis and how a person actually contracts this illness.

My son was 22 months old in 1994 when he came home from his daycare feverish, with vomiting and very sleepy. He had recently had his 18 month vaccinations from his pediatrician and been fighting ear infections for many months. He had been on a low dose Amoxicilan off and on since his birth for ear drainage and recurring ear infections. Tubes had been placed around his 1 yr age mark.

He fell asleep around 11:00am and checking him 3 times, he finally moved the musical monitor in his crib around 2pm that same day. I checked him and he was still asleep and very hot. He had not woken up to move the music box, he had a seizure I later found out.

I picked him up and he was sleeping, but very hot, took him downstairs and called the Dr’s office immediately. If was a Friday and almost 4pm, told me to offer a drink, his eyes were open, however he could not grasp his sippy cup. They said go to the ER immediately.

Upon arrival they were waiting for me in the ER, I was holding him, wearing only a diaper and noticed his trunk was pink but arms and fingers were changing color - bluish. The nurse tried to wake him and finally took him. He began a grand mall seizure and code was called.

Within the first 30 min his Dr ran into the ER while I waited in the waiting room. Soon I was told that Children's Hospital was coming to get him from Milwaukee. My husband arrived and they told us it was spinal meningitis and that he could either have brain damage, Palsy, be deaf or would die. He was given seizure meds, Rifampin and several other antibiotics. There was a scramble to find meds that his body was not resistant to and the meningitis too.

He was a patient at Children's Hospital for almost a month. He had lost all mobility and yes his hearing too. We had hearing checked while he was in the hospital, he was asleep for the procedure. He was indeed deaf. His mobility returned after 4-6 months with PT/OT in home and he was started on speech therapy.

Currently at age 23, he struggles with reading and remembering what he reads and would like to work. He has a struggle finding work due to his deafness, but remains positive.

Susan Bardonner
September 2016