A family faced a heart-wrenching loss when a father of three suddenly passed away after mistaking his symptoms for a common cold.
In 2022, Pete Hynes, a father from the UK, mentioned experiencing an unexpected earache and assumed it was a result of catching a cold, as his family had been dealing with similar symptoms in recent days.
At the age of 40, Pete decided to rest on a Saturday morning, but tragically, he collapsed.
His wife, Lou Hynes, expressed shock, describing her spouse as typically ‘fit and healthy.’
Upon being taken to the hospital, it was discovered that Pete was battling a lethal bacterial infection, which claimed his life within hours, leaving his family in utter shock.
The infection identified was meningococcal meningitis, involving the dangerous bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, which targets the membranes safeguarding the brain and spinal cord.
Lou has shared her emotional ordeal following her husband’s passing and how deeply it affected her. She conveyed that there were days when the weight of grief made it hard for her to leave bed.
The 48-year-old explained: “I’d never experienced anything like it. The kids were coming in and talking to me, their mouths were moving, but I couldn’t hear any words and I literally couldn’t move.
“The paralysis was the culmination of all those months of not having processed Pete’s death at all.
“Reality suddenly hit. This is my life now. It all culminated in that kind of breakdown.
“I honestly felt that anyone could have said or done anything and I wouldn’t have cared, I had completely zoned out.”
Despite her personal struggles following the unforeseen loss, she and her family initiated a JustGiving campaign to gather funds for the Meningitis Now charity.
To date, they have collected £7,000 ($9,056) from 238 contributions, surpassing their initial goal of £5,000 ($3,800).
Lou expressed her gratitude directly to the donors for their kindness.
She said: “If, through your kind donation, it means we help other families not have to go through what we have, then it will bring us some comfort.
“We may never have the answers to what happened in Pete’s case.
“But we hope, through supporting Meningitis Now, who are committed to raising awareness of the disease, that more research can be funded and a greater awareness created.”