This is a beautiful poem penned by a young lady, Enya Boyce, who had meningitis as a teenager. Enya read her poem for us at our recent event at Stormont Parliament Buildings in Northern Ireland, highlighting the real impact of Viral Meningitis. --------------- My Fight It was January 19th 2006, I remember it so well. I was sitting in English, when the pain in my head began to swell. From that moment on, everything happened so fast. It still seems like yesterday and not eight years in the past. I didn’t just suffer physically, but mentally as well. I developed an eating disorder and for four years my life was hell. My longest stay in hospital was eight months. Learning how to walk again was so tough. The doctors and nurses were great; they understood when I was feeling rough. Tube fed, injections, lumbar punctures, scans, you name it, and I’ve had them all. I’ve always had a love for sports, and dreamed to be back kicking a ball. Viral meningitis completely changed my life, not many realise the impact of it. I missed out on all my teenage years, I went from being bubbly to losing my wit. Withdrawn, thin and shallow, I had a different personality. Thank God I had great support; always by my side were my friends and family. Slowly and gradually, I began to improve. I gained weight and got my strength back, the meningitis was starting to lose. I got back to school, gained fantastic exam grades. The grip my illness had on me, started to fade. Back to the sports field, and on the county Gaelic team. Even winning All-Ireland medals, these days anyone can see my smile beam! My journey was so long, the meningitis hit me hard. But it has made me stronger; nowadays I’m always on my guard. I’m now at university. Strong, independent and loving my life. My determination got me through the battle, and against meningitis I won the fight! By Enya Boyce
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 12:03:01 +0000
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