Our two weeks of hell, by rugby star
FORMER England rugby star Matt Dawson yesterday revealed that his family had been through ‘two weeks of hell’ after his young son fell ill with meningitis.
The 43-year-old published a series of photos of twoyear-old Sami at various stages of the disease, which he has now fought off.
He admitted that he and wife Carolin Hauskeller, 42, had ‘ummed and ahhed’ over whether to share the pictures, but decided to release them to encourage other parents to have their children vaccinated.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘My wife and I have agreed it’s important. The two weeks of hell we’ve just had is because of meningitis. Sami is lucky due to amazing people at Great Ormond Street Hospital.’
The family’s agony began at the start of February. It is not clear which strain of the illness his son contracted, but the heart-rending pictures shared by Dawson show Sami hooked up to wires and tubes in a hospital bed. Early shots also show the tell-tale
signs of an angry rash across the little boy’s body, which gradually clears up. Another shows Sami being hugged by his relieved elder brother Alex, three.
Dawson used the hashtag #VaccinateNOW to accompany his tweet, and warned his 250,000 followers that the pictures may be ‘upsetting’.
However the honesty of the sports star – who was part of winning side in the 2003 Rugby World Cup – was praised by fans. Comments included one from Dakota in Scotland, who wrote: ‘I’m glad he shared these photos. Too many children die of meningitis.’
Another supporter, who gave her name as Lucy, said: ‘Do not wait for the NHS to make the meningitis B vaccine available to children of all ages.
‘If you have a child who was not offered it on the NHS... scrape and save, do whatever it takes, but get your child vaccinated.’
Dawson has frequently spoken of his love for his children. In a 2014 interview he revealed that his ‘fantasy 24 hours’ would be spent with his family.
‘I’d wake up early at home in West London with my wife and our son Alex and our baby Sam,’ he said.
In another interview, when Sami was five months old, he said: ‘We are a tight-knit little unit and I love watching my sons develop and grow.’
He has also described how his boys provide focus in his life, saying: ‘Being a father has given me a different perspective and drives me to work harder. No matter what happens in life or how tired or stressed you get, it’s always wonderful to come home.’
Dawson, who also took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006 and won Celebrity MasterChef the same year, has previously showed his support for children’s health in his role as president of the medical research charity Sparks in 2013. Sparks carried out a major study between 2006 and 2009 into vaccinations against pneumococcal infections, which are the leading cause of pneumonia and bacterial meningitis.