Lisa Snowdon almost died after contracting meningitis
Model/broadcaster Lisa Snowdon has revealed she almost died after contracting meningitis - revealing doctors called her parents and told them to "come and say goodbye".
Lisa Snowdon almost died after contracting meningitis
The model/broadcaster, 54, was struck down with the illness back in 2010 - when she was 38 - and she's revealed her condition was so grave doctors called her parents and told them to "come and say goodbye".
Lisa explained she ignored her symptoms - which included headaches, stiff neck, fever and fatigue - for weeks before she was eventually hospitalised because she became so unwell. She told The Times newspaper: "My neck was really stiff. I was waking up with a fever. I was freezing cold all the time. I’d lost my appetite completely. I was in agony.
"I stupidly didn’t listen to my body and get the help I needed. I didn’t know what it was, and so I kept going."
After being admitted to hospital, Lisa went without a diagnosis for two days because doctors were unsure about her condition as meningitis is more common in children and young adults.
After being diagnosed with meningitis, her doctors feared the worse. She added: "They told them [my parents]: 'You need to come and say goodbye'.
"I had no fight left in me. I felt like I was dying."
Lisa recovered and credits her dad with nursing her back to health after she was released from hospital. However, the former model admits she still suffers the aftereffects of her health battle, adding: "I still suffer with headaches. I still get very tired. But I am so lucky."
She has been an ambassador for the charity Meningitis Now since 2012 and now prioritises her health because her brush with death was a "huge wake-up call".
Lisa said: "I try and put myself and my health first. If I’m doing too much I write lists and prioritise what is necessary and what isn’t so I’m not overwhelmed. I listen to my body ...
"[It was] so horrific to be that poorly for so long, frightening my family, frightening myself, and realising I have to look after myself. It was a huge wake-up call.” meningitisnow.org."
Lisa recently completed a trek across the Sahara desert to raise money for the charity and she admits it was "triggering" to hear of the meningitis outbreak in Kent, England, which killed two young people earlier this month.
She added: "It’s been very triggering for everybody. I was with families that had lost teenagers. It brought everything back ... I have a bit of guilt, sometimes, speaking to the families - I survived, and their children didn’t."
