Posted: 00:04, 18 April 2022 | Updated: 07:36, 18 April 2022
The daughter of the Bucks Fizz star, Jay Aston, was rushed to the hospital after she became seriously ill with bacterial meningitis. Josie, 18, was rushed to the intensive care unit and put in a provocative coma after her organs began to fail last month, and she is still in a special kidney unit. Her mother, 60, spoke to the Mirror about her daughter’s condition, saying: “It was absolutely devastating. We were told it was 50/50 if he would make it. We still do not know when he will return home. Catastrophic: Bucks Fizz Jay Ashton reveals that her daughter is seriously ill in hospital battling bacterial meningitis (photo in 2019) “I sat by her bed every night, eager to make it. I could not believe that this was her fate, because she is such a wonderful person. He is extroverted, kind, good-natured and full of life. It just felt so hard. I have said many prayers. It’s my world – we’re ridiculously close. “I just could not imagine being without her.” Jay noticed a rash on Josie’s hand in March, which he immediately recognized as meningitis as Dave Colquhoun’s husband, Josie’s father, had contracted it 19 years earlier. He rushed her to the hospital, which doctors later said saved Josie’s life, and within an hour Josie’s entire body was covered in rash. The next day, when her lungs began to fail, she was taken to the intensive care unit where she was placed in a provocative coma, given oxygen and treated with antibiotics. Fighter: Josie, 18, was rushed to the intensive care unit and put in a provocative coma after her organs began to fail last month, and she is still in a special kidney unit (photo in 2021) Bacterial meningitis usually occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord. It is much more severe and rarer than viral meningitis and one in 10 cases is fatal. Possible side effects include brain damage, hearing loss and amputation of the affected limbs. Jay remembered her shock from the diagnosis, when a few days earlier Josie was “in shape and healthy” and excitedly preparing to go on vacation and start a new job. Scary: Her mother, 60, spoke to The Mirror about her daughter’s condition, saying: “It was absolutely devastating. We were told that it was 50/50 if he would succeed “(photo in 2022) Josie remained in a coma for five days, with Jay sleeping in a chair next to her bed, until doctors removed her from the coma, but there was no improvement. Jay said: “He did not return for two days. Those were the two worst days of my life. There was no response. I knew he could go one way or the other. “But I could not let myself think I could lose her.” Jay has gone through her own health problems, underwent seven surgeries – including the removal of part of her tongue – to cure her oral cancer in 2018 and battled Covid in 2021. Despite this, she said that the fear of losing her daughter made this “the worst month of my life” and insisted that he would “exchange places with her with a heartbeat”. Jay says Josie still has plenty of time to recover and wants her story to be told so people know the dangers of the infection, which can be transmitted through sneezing, coughing and kissing. She hopes Josie will be out of the hospital this week, but for now she is grateful she is alive, knowing how close she got to losing her.
WHAT IS MENINGITIS?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Anyone can be affected, but people at risk include people under the age of five, 15 to 24 and over 45. People who are exposed to second-hand smoke or a suppressed immune system, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, are also at greater risk. The most common forms of meningitis are bacterial and viral. Symptoms for both include:
Pale, stained skin with a rash that does not fade when squeezed with a glass Stiff neck Dislike for bright lights Fever and cold hands and feet Vomiting Drowsiness Severe headache
Headache is one of the main symptoms
Bacterial meningitis
Bacterial meningitis requires urgent hospital treatment with antibiotics.
About 10 percent of bacterial cases are fatal.
Of those who survive, one in three suffers from complications such as brain damage and hearing loss.
Limb amputation is a possible side effect if sepsis (blood poisoning) occurs.
Vaccines are available against certain strains of bacteria that cause meningitis, such as tuberculosis.
Viral meningitis
The virus is rarely life-threatening, but can cause long-term effects such as headaches, fatigue and memory problems.
Thousands of people suffer from viral meningitis every year in the UK.
The treatment focuses on hydration, painkillers and rest.
Although ineffective, antibiotics can be given when patients arrive at the hospital only if they have the bacterial form of the disease.
Source: Meningitis Now