A Perth family continues to raise awareness of the symptoms of meningitis and vital charity funds 12 years after losing their baby daughter.
On Sunday Alan and Ruth Glynn mark the 12th anniversary of losing their precious 19-month-old daughter Alexis Rose.
Described as having “bags of personality” Alexis and twin sister Christina were born nearly three months early and Alexis weighed just 2lb 12 ounces at birth.
She was “a fighter by nature” and, being premature, spent a while in hospital alongside her sister but quickly grew in strength.
Then a horrendous situation swamped the Craigie couple in 2011 when one minute Christina and Alexis were walking and playing and then within hours, beautiful Alexis had left them, killed by the viral infection.
Twin sister Christina is now 13 and has joined her dad in finding release through running, with the pair opting to do a dad and daughter team effort at the Winter Warmer 5k in Glasgow on Sunday.
It will be Christina’s first race and she will be part of a team of 11 runners, six of which are entered for the 5k and five for the half-marathon distance.
Christina will be proud to wear the Team Alexis Rose shirt in honour of her twin whose anniversary is that day.
The family said: “Alexis Rose was always laughing and making us laugh, we will never forget her toothy smile and the way she would look over to make sure people were watching before she did something naughty.
“She was so happy and healthy and we never dreamed that anything could ever take her away from us, but meningitis ended her life within hours.
“We decided to continue Alexis’s fight and refuse to let meningitis beat us, by raising money and awareness of this disease for Meningitis Now.”
Sponsorship money is being raised via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/19arc.
Alan is soon to announce an extensive list of running races he and his supporters are entered for.
At this sad time of year when Alexis is very much in the minds of the Glynn’s, they wanted to put the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia out there to help others be aware.
Meningitis Now lists these as: fever, cold hands and feet; vomiting; drowsy, difficult to wake; confusion and irritability; severe muscle pain; pale, blotchy skin or spots/rash; severe headache; stiff neck; dislike of bright lights; convulsions/seizures. Early symptoms can include fever, headache, vomiting, muscle pain and fever with cold hands and
feet.
Someone with meningitis or septicaemia can get a lot worse very quickly so it is important to keep checking them regularly.
Trust your instincts and get medical help immediately.
