Running to raise awareness of meningitis (From Somerset County Gazette)

Running to raise awareness of meningitis

8:01pm Wednesday 7th May 2008

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A TAUNTON man is running across Ireland to raise money for the Meningitis Trust after his two-year-old nephew nearly lost his life to the virus.

Simon Lewis and his brother Alan whose son Oliver has lost his legs and fingers from meningitis are attempting to run 135 kilometres from the west coast to the east coast of Ireland.

The pair start the run on May 22, a year to the date of Oliver's admission to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

Simon said: "Oliver was 20 months old when his parents put him to bed with a temperature, by five in the morning he was covered in pinprick rash and within two hours he was in a coma in hospital."

Alan, who has lived in Northern for the past three years said: "It was painfully obvious no matter how much we tried to be optimistic, that the Septicaemia had caused irreparable damage to some of Oliver's limbs.

"We were told that both his legs would have to be amputated below the knee along with the finger tips on three of his fingers on his left hand."

Alan added: "We are the lucky ones, Oliver is alive and his personality is just as it was, lively and adventurous - he is our inspiration."

Simon is trying to raise as much awareness and sponsorship as he can in Taunton before setting off to Ireland for the run.

He said: "We will be handing out leaflets the whole way round on the run, to make as many people aware of the symptoms of meningitis as we can."

Anyone wishing to sponsor or support Simon can see him at the old market centre on Tuesday May 13 between 11.30-2.30pm.

He will be running on a treadmill and collecting donations.

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