“It’s not meningococcal or something, is it?” I was texting my husband, Simon, at 4am on a Monday from my hotel room in Palm Springs while he was at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne with our 19-year-old son, James. Fiona Hall’s 19-year-old son, James, was rushed to hospital after contracting meningococcal B. “Might be meningitis.
He’s gonna go into ICU, I think. His neck is very stiff which is a strong indicator,” Simon replied. “What are they saying? Are you worried?” “No.
” And so began the most arduous journey home to my boy, whose life hung in the balance. It was only later that I found out that Simon wasn’t just worried, he was terrified, but chose not to tell me. He also didn’t tell me that the only lucid thing James had said in the ambulance had been “mum” on a loop.
Feeling a little under the weather, James had come home from uni that morning with a thumping headache, very sore legs and mild vomiting, so he went to bed. On Monday evenings, my husband conducts a local choir and, just as he was preparing to leave the house that night, he heard a kick against the wall from James’ room..
