According to the Mirror, the 18-year-old was rushed to the intensive care unit and put in a provocative coma after her organs began to fail.
After almost a month of hospitalization, Josie is still in a special kidney unit and she was told that unfortunately she will have permanent scars. Singer Jay said: “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. “I sat by her bed every night, willing to do 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. Read more related articles Read more related articles “I have said many prayers. It’s my world – we’re ridiculously close. “I just could not imagine being without her.” Josie was rushed to hospital last month after Jay, 60, found a rash on her daughter’s hand, which she immediately recognized as meningitis. Doctors later said that if it were not for her quick thinking, her daughter would not have survived. The ordeal began on March 22 when Josie called her mom and said she was unwell. Jay drove to the family home in Kent to find her daughter trembling. She recalled: “She was lying in the sun and I thought it might have been heatstroke. “A few days ago she had complained that her joints were hurting, something that I had subjected to increasing pain.” But when Josie developed a headache, neck pain and a temperature that did not drop with paracetamol, Jay called 111 and an ambulance was ordered. He said: “It was 6.45 pm, but the ambulance did not come. Her temperature reached almost 40. I started to worry a lot. In the middle of the night, he said, “Mom, I’m not right.” “I saw red dots on her hand.” Josie is still in the hospital and is very unwell (Image: Brochure) Jay immediately realized it could be meningitis as her guitar husband, 22-year-old Dave Colquhoun, Josie’s father, contracted it 19 years earlier. They quickly drove her daughter to nearby Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough, Kent. Within an hour, Josie’s entire body was covered in rash, and 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. Jay recalls: “The doctors said all her organs were gone and it was 50/50 if she were alive. I could not believe what I was hearing. She was only 18 and just a few days earlier she was 100% fit and healthy. “She was ready to go on holiday with her best friends and start a new job in sales and marketing, which she was really looking forward to.” Bacterial meningitis can cause life-threatening blood poisoning. It usually occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord. More severe and much rarer than viral meningitis, one in 10 cases is fatal. It usually strikes suddenly and gets worse quickly. It can lead to permanent damage to the brain or nerves and sometimes it is necessary to amputate the affected limbs. Josie remained in a coma for five days, with Jay sleeping in a chair by her bed. He said: “I was willing to do it. I held her hand, but one had lines and in the other the rash was crying and had blisters. It was horrible. “ After five days the doctors took Josie out of the coma, but there was no improvement. Jay said: “He did not come 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. “Dave and I are quite religious, which is why we both prayed a lot. “There were tears, but I wanted to keep it together for both of us – he was very upset.” Finally Josie opened her eyes and after a day she started talking. Josie’s hand with meningitis rash (Image: Brochure) But realizing that her kidneys had been damaged, doctors transported her to Kings College Hospital in south London to be treated in his special kidney unit. Jay said: “The doctors and nurses were incredible. They are still not happy with the results of her blood tests, so she does blood transfusions and dialysis. “Her kidneys are recovering, but they are not fully functioning.” Josie also has a rash on her forehead and knees and has been warned that she will have permanent scars on her legs, where the rash has caused blisters and sagging skin. Her legs are swollen and tied, where the rash is still crying and the skin on her left arm has fallen off. Jay said: “It was difficult for her to stand because of the pain in her legs and one toe was completely black. It is quite common to lose limbs when you have meningitis so badly. We thought they might need to amputate it, but luckily, it’s coming back. “Josie was incredibly brave, but her mood is low. She is desperate to get home. Blood transfusions were done, ECG, she has a large line in her neck and she underwent dialysis and closed. “It will not be good for months, probably the rest of the year.” Jay, who became famous when Bucks Fizz won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with Making Your Mind Up, continues to play with two of the band’s original teammates, Cheryl Baker, 68, and Mike Nolan. , 67, with their new name The Fizz. He hopes to return to the stage with them later this month. Jay went through her own battles for her health after being diagnosed with oral cancer in 2018 and Covid in 2021, but said nothing comparing to the fear of losing her daughter. The singer underwent seven surgeries – including the removal of part of her tongue – which left her without cancer. Jay is still playing with two of her original bandmates, Cheryl Baker, 68, and Mike Nolan, 67, under their new name The Fizz (Image: Getty Images) She explained: “I had a terrible time in the hospital. The pain was unbelievable, but this was the worst month of my life. I am exhausted. “Josie is my only child and I would change places with her with a heartbeat.” The Mirror reported a sharp rise in Josie’s meningitis B earlier this year, especially among college students, following the lifting of pandemic restrictions last year. Jay said Josie wants to tell her story in order to warn other people about the dangers of the infection, which can be transmitted through sneezing, coughing and kissing. Although Josie had been vaccinated for meningitis as a child, she had not been vaccinated for this particular type. “There are six or seven versions,” Jay said. Kay became famous when Bucks Fizz won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with Making Your Mind Up (Image: Publicity Picture) Jay hopes to be out of the hospital later this week, but he knows there is a long way to go. He added: “If she had not been in my bed that night, I would have missed her. I hope he recovers completely, but I’m glad I’m alive. “He is a wonderful child. it is wonderful and funny and I am very lucky and blessed to have it. “Whatever happens next, we will deal with it.” Receive the latest gossip and TV celebrity news sent directly to your inbox. Subscribe to Showbiz’s weekly newsletterhere.
