Meningitis claims little princess

27 November 2009

Family: Little Aaliyah, left, holding big sister Georgina's hand, mum Kelly, front left, with other sister Summer and baby brother Ronnie, front right

THE grief-stricken family of a four-year-old girl have urged people to help find a cure for a killer strain of meningitis - just days after watching her die from the illness.

Aaliyah Wells succumbed to Meningitis B early on Monday November 16 within hours of complaining of flu-like symptoms.

Mum Kelly, 31, of Dorking Walk, Harold Hill, was too distraught to talk, but wanted something positive to come from the tragedy.

Little more than a week after the family switched off Aaliyah's life support machine, grandparents Elaine and Trevor Wells have vowed to help raise awareness about the disease which can kill within four hours.

Elaine, 50, said: "This was so sudden. She was our little princess. I know every grandparent would say the same about their own, but Aaliyah was special.

"She had the most wonderful personality. She was always smiling or laughing.

"This disease took all of that away from us. We don't want any other family to go through what we've had to."

Battler Aaliyah, a pupil at Mead Primary School, Harold Hill, had been born without a hip and had just started to walk unaided after undergoing a hip replacement operation in July.

But on Saturday November 14, she was rushed to Queen's Hospital, Romford, with a temperature of 39.5oC.

Medics discovered that Aaliyah was suffering from the highly dangerous bacterial form of the infection which affects the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Doctors took her straight into the resuscitation ward where they tried to keep her stable. Aaliyah was then transferred to a specialist unit in St Mary's Hospital in Paddington and placed on a life support machine.

Aaliyah was declared dead on the Monday morning with her family at her bedside.

Trevor, 53, said: "Aaliyah said she didn't feel very well. We just though it was the flu. But it took hold within a few hours. She kept calling for me. I held her in my arms and it felt like she was slipping away.

"After everything she'd gone through with her hip, we thought we'd got over the worst. But then this."

The couple, of Market Link, Romford, are calling on people to donate money to find a cure for deadly Meningitis B which causes almost 90 per-cent of cases in the UK.

Trevor added: "She had all the jabs kids have. You just can't see this sort of thing ever happening to your family. None of this has sunk in yet.

"All we know is that it would be a fitting tribute to Aaliyah if we could raise awareness of the symptoms and help find a vaccination so no one else has to see a loved one go and have to deal with this."

Trials have been taking place on two vaccines, one which covers 10 strains of meningitis and another which protects against 13. The vaccine currently given to children protects against seven.

Visit www.meningitisuk.org for more information about the disease and to donate to the search for a vaccine campaign.

There are approximately 2,000 cases of bacterial meningitis in England and Wales every year.

The number of cases has dropped sharply in recent years due to a successful vaccination programme that protects against many of the bacteria that can cause meningitis.

More than 750 family, friends and strangers have flocked to join a Facebook page in memory of the tragic tot.

Called the Charity Fundraiser for Aaliyah Wells, the page aims to raise money for Meningitis UK.

Filled with heart wrenching messages, as well as charity pledges, the site had already bought in £175 since its inception on Tuesday.

Anguished mum Kelly wrote on the page: "My beautiful princess has been taken from me by this evil illness and when I went to look at her today I felt so angry.

"The only way I can get back at it is to try to wipe it out. It won't save my little angel, but would stop other families from going through what we are going through.