Claudia Gill knew something was terribly wrong when she woke up dazed and confused, squinting under bright lights in a hospital bed while hooked up to monitors.
The last thing the 18-year-old remembered was talking to someone in a hospital hallway hours before, after having arrived in an ambulance with a severe headache, stiffness, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and noise.
The 20-year-old, from Wollongong, had been placed in an isolation ward because she had contracted the contagious and life-threatening meningococcal disease even though she never developed the telltale purple rash.
He survived, albeit with persistent tinnitus and headaches, but doctors said that if he had returned to the hospital just 30 minutes later, he would probably have died.
Now the ringing in his ears and the pain in his head serve as a persistent reminder of the illness that nearly took his life.
Claudia Gill (pictured), from Wollongong, contracted the contagious and life-threatening meningococcal disease.
The 20-year-old’s first symptoms were headache, sensitivity to light and noise, vomiting and stiffness. He began to drift in and out of consciousness as he headed to the hospital.
Claudia told FEMAIL she wants all Australians to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of meningococcus.
“I was incredibly lucky: my story could have ended very differently. I urge people to be aware of the signs and symptoms and stay alert,” he said.
In May 2022, aged 18, Claudia had returned to her casual retail job after a family holiday in Queensland when her symptoms began.
He had a bad headache and discovered he was sensitive to lights and music. When she returned home, his condition worsened even more.
“I had a stiff neck and nausea, then I ended up vomiting and passing out,” he recalled.
‘I was lying in my parents’ bed very stiff. I couldn’t move much because my head felt so swollen and sore. My dad was trying to get a doctor’s appointment, but we couldn’t get one.’
Claudia’s father Sam called an ambulance and paramedics immediately suspected she had meningitis.
“I don’t get sick very often, so we thought it might have been the flu or some kind of infection.” “I don’t think it ever occurred to any of us that it could have been meningococcus,” she said.
‘I managed to walk down my driveway to the ambulance. Looking back, I don’t know how I walked, but once I got into the ambulance, I just kept getting worse and worse.”
In May 2022, aged 18, Claudia had returned to her casual retail job after a family holiday in Queensland when her symptoms began.
On the way to the hospital, the paramedics asked Claudia questions, but she found it difficult to speak and fell in and out of consciousness.
The next thing he remembers is talking to a doctor in the hospital hallway and then waking up in an isolation room hours later.
She never had the telltale purple rash (pictured)
‘I just had the hospital gown on and all these monitors on me. “I remember thinking it was so bright and so loud and I was confused,” she said.
While she was sleeping, doctors had performed a series of tests and a notoriously painful and unpleasant puncture in the wood that she said she was happy to be unconscious through.
Tests confirmed that Claudia had contracted invasive meningococcal disease, a bacterial infection that affects the blood or membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
It is transmitted by small droplets of liquid that come out of the nose and throat when coughing and sneezing. Cases increase in the fall and winter, when cold weather forces gatherings indoors.
Meningococcus is commonly thought to be something that affects young children and they develop a rash; however, it is also prevalent in adolescents and young adults.
Doctors treated Claudia for the disease based on her symptoms, but before it was confirmed that meningococcus can cause disabilities or even death if not treated quickly enough.
While a rash that looks like red or purple dots or a larger bruise is a sign of meningococcus and is often associated with the disease, it only develops in the later stages of the infection.
Claudia said she only noticed two small red dots on her arm.
“I only had a little bit of a rash on my arm, but it was just a couple of red dots instead of that purple rash that everyone knows,” she said.
Doctors treated her for the disease based on her symptoms, but before it was confirmed that meningococcus can cause disabilities or even death if not treated quickly enough.
‘The doctors said time was what saved me. “If we had arrived half an hour later, it would have been a lot worse,” she said.
Claudia spent five days in the hospital taking antibiotics to which she responded well and was able to return home and little by little resume her work.
However, its effects are long-lasting.
‘The headaches are worse than before, but they are manageable. I also have a little damage to my ears. “If I go to a concert or an event where there’s loud music, I have to wear earplugs,” she said.
Claudia wants people to educate themselves about the signs and symptoms so they know when to go to hospital before it’s too late (pictured with her parents Sam and Katrina and her sister Alice)
To this day, Claudia has no idea where she contracted meningococcus, even after medical staff tried to trace the cause to slow its spread.
“They kept track of where it had been, but we couldn’t find anything, so where I got it is completely unknown,” he said.
Claudia wants people to know how serious meningococcus can be and to educate themselves about the signs and symptoms so they know when to go to the hospital before it is too late.
“It’s interesting because I get one of two reactions: People say, ‘Oh my God, that’s so scary. “I can’t believe it happened,” or they have no idea what it is and how serious it is. she said.
“If you have any of the symptoms, take it seriously and get it checked out because it can happen to anyone at any time.”