‘Miracle’ teenager who beat amazing odds to live

The 18-year-old from York had been ill for a week, leaving her GP and hospital doctors puzzled by her symptoms.

But her condition suddenly took a dangerous turn for the worse and she was rushed into York hospital.

She was put into a coma and transferred for specialist treatment at Hull Royal Infirmary where scans showed enormous pressure on her brain.

Doctors warned her family that if they did not operate immediately, she would die.

Tests showed Megan, who had celebrated her 18th birthday only a month before, had been struck by meningitis although the symptoms were not typical.

Her family including father Nick, mother Jacqui and sister Aislinn, waited anxiously by her bedside for her to come out of the coma, not knowing if she would survive or how much damage had been caused to her brain.

Four months on, Megan, who lives in Heworth, York, has defied the odds as she continues her recovery in hospital.

Remarkably she is one of only four people in the world to survive the meningitis in the way it took hold, leading to rapid swelling of her brain, which would normally have claimed her life.

But she was left paralysed and for several months she could only breathe with the help of a ventilator.

She is gradually regaining some movement in her arms and legs following intensive physiotherapy at York Hospital and is now getting specialist help at the regional spinal injuries unit at the new Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield where she arrived last week.

Doctors cannot say yet if she will walk again or if she will need a wheelchair.

Yesterday she said the best moment in her recovery had come last month.

“When I spoke for the first time to mum, and I was sat on the chair, and said ‘I love you too’ because I could respond to my family and let my mum know how much I care about her and the same for the rest of my family. It’s nice to be able to move that little bit more and to show affection after so long.”

Her sister Aislinn, 16, said: “It all happened so quickly. There was literally no warning of how ill she was to become.”

Scans revealed that part of her brain had ruptured because the meningitis bacteria caused the lining of the brain to swell.

“The doctor said that if he didn’t operate straight away then she would die,” said Aislinn.

She underwent two hours of surgery which doctors said went well but her family faced an agonising five-day wait before she emerged from the coma.

It became clear that the part of her brain responsible for personality had not been affected but damage caused to her brain stem meant she was paralysed from the neck down and barely able to move her face.

Aislinn said: “We were so relieved that she was still herself and hadn’t been brain damaged in a way which would affect her personality.

“But we knew it was a long, hard road ahead.

“No one was able to say whether she would get better or not but she’s been so strong and amazed us every day.

“The staff at York hospital have been amazing and Megan’s now able to move some of her limbs and lift her head up. Her muscles have wasted from being so ill and immobile but we’re confident that will improve.

“We’ve been told there’s only four people in the world who have survived – she’s the only one in this country.

“She’s a miracle, she really is. At the end of the day, we are all just so happy that she’s alive.”

Megan, who was studying for a diploma in the technical aspects of performing arts at York College when she fell ill, said she was most looking forward to walking on the carpet in the family’s sitting room and playing with her cat Milo.

“I’d like to say that all the treatment I’ve had and all the people I’ve met in the last 17 weeks have given me the best chance of recovery possible.” she added. “I will never let anyone take the Mick out of the NHS again as without them I wouldn’t have this second chance at life.”

Steve Dayman, who founded Meningitis UK after the death of his son Spencer, said: “It sounds like Megan’s had an incredibly tough time but everyone’s so proud of the progress she’s making.

“Her experiences sadly show what a devastating disease meningitis is, striking within hours and causing untold damage and, in some cases, taking people’s lives.”