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I wasn't going to post this, but now it's in the paper, people will know. One of my daughters best friends at school died on Friday and it's incredibly sad. I just hope that some awareness about Meningitis might help someone else. This was a wonderful talented girl and a wonderful friend to my daughter. Please only post positive comments and please spread awareness of meningitis xxxx

Wirral Globe

A TALENTED Wirral teenager has lost her fight with meningitis.

Fifteen-year-old Daisy Metcalfe, from Wallasey, died from the virus last Friday in hospital.

Following her tragic death Birkenhead High School Academy, where she was a pupil, paid tribute to her "confidence" and "wonderful" personality.

And health officials have moved to reassure parents at Birkenhead High School that it is safe for their children to attend.

They say that as pneumococcal meningitis is not infectious, no further action is needed.

Headteacher Christine Mann said: "It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you of the death of Daisy Metcalfe.



"Daisy was a kind and conscientious person who would always put the interests of others before her own - a quiet, gentle girl who never made a fuss about anything.

"Daisy was a gifted young musician, able to switch between trumpet, tenor and French horn, playing with the wind band, orchestra, the inter-schools brass ensemble and the rock-band project."


The school has held a special assembly in which a minute's silence was conducted in Daisy's memory and support is being offered to grieving staff and pupils.

Mrs Mann added: "Daisy was an immensely talented individual who approached all aspects of her life with a confidence and determination beyond her years, and with a wonderful sense of humour.

"Daisy was quite simply a joy to know and was much loved by everyone who knew her. She will be deeply missed."

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is warning people to look out for the signs and symptoms of meningitis.

Dr Nicola Schinaia, a consultant with the HPA's Cheshire and Merseyside Health Protection Unit, said: "This is desperately sad and our hearts go out to the girl’s family. Pneumococcal infection is comparatively rare and meningitis caused by the pneumococcal bacteria is extremely rare.

"However, everyone should be aware of the symptoms to look out for and of the need to take urgent action whenever a case is suspected.

"The best way for parents to protect their children is to make sure they are up to date with their immunisations. The routine childhood immunisation programme includes a pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) that protects against the more common strains of this illness."

Pneumococcal meningitis can affect any age group, but those at most risk are babies and young children under 18 months of age.

The elderly and people with conditions that affect the immune system are also at increased risk. As with all types of meningitis, the onset of illness is often sudden.

Pneumococcal bacteria may cause sinusitis, middle ear infections, pneumonia, bacteraemia (a serious infection of the blood, also known as septicaemia) and meningitis.

Symptoms are also similar to those of the more common meningococcal meningitis, including sudden onset of high fever, vomiting, stiff neck, and a rash that does not fade when pressed with glass.


i worked with her dad,so so sad.she will be sadly missed,R.I.P daisy.
Sallybear, this is very,very sad news and my sympathies go to Daisy's family and friends.
It is the most dreadful illness which comes with such little warning.

My grandaughter( a baby) suffered the meningococcal strain of meningitis.From vomitting to being on life support, just one hour. No rash had shown prior to the ambulance being called, just very limp. She survived.

Please take heed of Sallybear's post and be aware. If you are unsure, call the ambulance. A GP visit could be too late!

I hope your daughter and other friends of Daisy will be able to support each other, with help, through their saddest times.
Very sad.
How very sad, my hubby had this a few years back, he survived, but only cos he had immediate medical attention from a doctor who knew all about it, My thoughts are with you all, x
Terrible tragedy. So young with so much ahead of her. Sincere sympathy to her family and friends.
So sad, feel for the family and friends. Terrible illness, I recall a young lad (wont name on here) passing away in the 90's, only about 4-5 tears of age and was so quick, felt ill at tea and passed away about 12-16 hours later. So quick and tragic.

R.I.P Daisy
Daisys boyfriend lives next door to my parents. I met daisy at our jubilee party, a lovely girl. Her boyfriend now wants to do fundraising to raise awareness of meningitis. If anyone wants to donate I will let you know what he is doing when he has organised it. As you can imagine the whole family are heartbroken
Thank you all for you're kind words and sentiments. I'm a very close family member, and i'd like to offer my sincere gratitude to everybody who has supported and helped us navigate through this terrible tragedy; we couldnt of done it without your love and kindness. smile
We are in the final stages of organising a 14 stage charity walk from Wirral to Aberdeen this coming August. Participants can walk as many miles as they feel able, be it either 1, or the whole 345 over a fortnight. We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to this idea, and it's already promising to be much larger than initially expected. All proceeds go directly to Meningitis UK.
I'll post a thread on it (if that's ok mod's!), as we have have a couple of pre-walk fundraisers arranged that may interest users of WikiWirral. If anybody reading this is interested in participating in the walk or preceeding events, please inbox me for details.

You can find us on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/daisychain2013?ref=hl

Thanks again. smile
A recent news story covering Daisy Chain 2013:

http://www.wirralbiznetworking.co.u...y-of-wirral-teenager-daisy-metcalfe.html
I can only echo the words above. Don't mess about with GP's, go straight to A & E even if you only suspect it is meningitis. Tell them you suspect it as well even if you are wrong it is better to be safe than sorry.

I lost my daughter at the age of four with it. Many years ago now but the hurt is still there.

There is some good news, thanks to the charities, there are now vaccines for some strains of the disease but all donations help further research and hopefully wipe it out for once and for all are desperately needed.
Well said Helles smile I'm terribly sorry to hear about your daughter, you'll understand everything we're going through right now frown

Time is of the absolute essence when it comes to meningitis; if you suspect it, no matter how remotely, bring your suspicions to the attention of hospital staff immediately. This disease can kill in under 2 hours and it can just come out of nowhere, please be vigilant. x
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