THE heartbroken mum of a young girl who died from sepsis after contracting meningitis said she was “wiped out within hours”.
Kayla Carey, from Meath, passed away after becoming unwell at a birthday party on March 8, 2018.
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The six-year-old’s cousin was also rushed to hospital with meningitis and later made a full recovery.
Kayla’s devastated mum Ger O’Connor said her daughter deteriorated very quickly and “didn’t stand a chance”.
She told Independent.ie: “It’s so crazy how fast it all happened. It was absolutely terrifying.
“Kayla and her cousin, 10, were at a family birthday party and they were both in great form.
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“Her cousin started to get sick that night, and Kayla said she wasn’t feeling great either but they had eaten a lot of cake so we thought that was causing it.
“Neither of them had a rash or a high temperature.
“I told her she could stay in bed for the morning and I went down to get the younger kids their breakfast.
“We then all hopped back into bed together and slept for an hour or two but when I tried to wake Kayla, I couldn’t.
“I called an ambulance but by the time she got to the hospital she was black and blue. I knew she was gone. It wiped her out within hours.”
Ger said Kayla, who had a “heart of gold”, was treated for pneumonia a few months before contracting meningitis.
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Ger said: “In January she seemed herself again but her immune system must have been so low that my poor baby just didn’t stand a chance when the meningitis hit.
“Nothing could have saved her and she died after developing septicaemia.”
Ger, who is also mum to Faith, five, Brooklyn, 18 months, and Charlie, three months, is urging parents to make sure their children are vaccinated.
She said: “Parents just know when something isn’t right. There can be no symptoms with meningitis, it’s terrifying how quickly it took Kayla.
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“But it’s also so important to vaccinate your kids. Kayla was vaccinated and was up to date with her vaccines but it was the meningitis B strain that she caught, which wasn’t included in the MMR vaccine for Kayla and Faith and but is now being offered to younger kids. It should be given to all children regardless.
“Every kid should be vaccinated. It’s irresponsible to not vaccinate your kids.
“If your child says they have a pain in their tummy, constantly check your child. It’s just absolutely frightening how often this happens and I don’t want another family to suffer like we are.”