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'Every second counts' walk set to raise awareness of meningitis
28 April 2010More than 150 people will walk 21 miles from the General Hospital in Southampton to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth on Sunday May 16, in a bid to highlight the dangers of meningitis and raise £3,000 for charity in the process.
This year, half the money raised will go to the Meningitis Trust. Those walking will be by handing out symptoms cards along the route. Many people taking part will be walking in memory of loved ones that they have lost to the disease.
Event organiser Rachel Boulahri-Waite, from Gosport, knows only too well how quickly meningitis can strike. Her daughter, Baileah, contracted the disease in December 2008 and her condition deteriorated rapidly. Thankfully, meningitis was diagnosed in time and Baileah has made a full recovery. Rachel, who has organised the walk to make more parents aware of the condition, says; “Everyone needs to know about the signs and symptoms of meningitis. Hopefully the walk will highlight the issue of meningitis along the South Coast and raise hundreds of pounds to help families that are coping with the aftermath of the disease.”
If you are interested in taking part in the walk, or would like to sponsor Rachel, please contact her on 07727 754743 or email rboulahri@hotmail.com. The walk will begin from outside Southampton General Hospital at 9.30am. A coach has been provided to take walkers back to Southampton, and a minibus will be on hand for those unable to walk the full 21 miles.
David Light, Community Development Co-ordinator at the Meningitis Trust, says: “This is a really great way to raise awareness of meningitis in the community. We hope to hand out over a thousand of our symptoms cards on the day, which we know can help save lives.”
The Trust helps around 20,000 people each year through its range of specialist services; giving vital support to those who have been affected by this life-changing disease. With as many as 500,000 people living in the UK who have had either viral or bacterial meningitis and up to one adult in every four knowing someone who has had meningitis, the charity’s ongoing work is much-needed.
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