Being an active, ambitious person growing up, I thought I knew what strength was. I’m now a bacterial meningitis and spinal cord injury survivor approaching 20 years since my diagnosis. My experiences over the last two decades have shown me what strength actually is.
I contracted bacterial meningitis on March 2, 2005 after a surgery for a spinal cord injury. I was a young, active freshman in college. I played three sports in high school and was a lifeguard in the summers. One day I stood up from my dorm room desk and herniated a disc that compressed 60% of my spinal cord. It was a freak injury that had set me back but I was expected to fully recover because I was young, healthy, and strong.
Meningitis changed all of that.
20 years later I am now stronger than I ever imagined possible, in ways I didn’t think I’d ever have to be. Unfortunately I can no longer run for miles, or throw a softball with my daughter, however…
I have shared my story with millions of people to help them protect themselves and their loved ones from the tragedies meningitis can bring.
I have the honor to work alongside amazing people in the fight against bacterial meningitis, including those who have lost their loved ones to it. Their strength and courage to help protect others despite their own heartbreak helps me to stay strong, so we can defeat this awful disease together.
I have learned that strength is about waking up every day and putting the pieces of yourself back together and moving forward despite everything you’ve been through. This is something we all might have to do, whether we’ve been impacted by meningitis or not. It can be one of the hardest, ugliest, yet most compelling aspects of our life.
Meningitis may have taken many things away from me, but it has brought me so much more, including a new perspective and appreciation for what it means to have strength.
I’ll be sharing posts reflecting on the impact meningitis has made on my life for the next few weeks leading up to March 2, 2025, the 20th anniversary of my journey. For more information about bacterial meningitis talk to you or your child’s doctor, visit CDC.gov and meningitisprevention.org.
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