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 This
is the story of our loss on April 4th, 2002. Our baby princess,
Chiara Jane Elizabeth died of pneumococcal meningitis after just
8 and 1/2 months of life. We have grieved her loss and want to share
this experience so that others who follow in these tragic footsteps
will have the comfort of knowing happiness and good memories can
replace the initial overwhelming sense of sadness.
From the moment that Chiara was born she was loved
by everyone, she was never ill and enjoyed life to the full. We
called her "Mousey" as she never really cried but squeeked
if there was something wrong! We shared with Chiara all that we
did, travelling to different countries to visit family and friends,
taking her to parties and events where she just could not wait to
be greeted and cuddled by everyone that came into contact with her.
She was so sociable and her huge eyes smiled up at you with delight
each time.
Monday began with warm goodbyes to our family in England.
We had no idea that just three days later we would face the shock
of our lives. We drove back from Dover to Brussels having spent
Easter with all the family in Somerset. Chiara was a little more
tired than usual and slept a lot during the journey. She had a cough
and a  slight
temperature (38°) and we just assumed that it was due to 4 teeth
coming through.
On the boat she was extremely jolly, ate her fruit
and biscuits, and drank some milk quite happily. At home Chiara
immediately recognized her bedroom and was happy to be back to her
routine. She played on her change mat while I got her ready for
bed. After a bit more playing she fell asleep.
Tuesday morning April 2nd, she rose at 8:30am as was
normal. Christian, my husband, went to pick her up as always and
then we gave her milk, which she drank happily. Chiara was more
sleepy than usual and didn't want to play so she lay cuddled up
to me for a while. She seemed very hot so we checked her temperature.
It was 39.5° so we gave her some Calpol to try and reduce it.
Still she seemed very listless and whimpered slightly. There were
no other symptoms. This was so unlike her that we called the Peadiatrician
who said to come at 1:30 pm. At the doctor's office Chiara was stripped
down to her nappy and the doctor checked her thoroughly. Her temperature,
ears, nose, throat, eyes, skin and reflexes were all thoroughly
checked and a urine sample was sent to the laboratory. All the results
were negative.
She had some milk around 4:00 pm but remained uncharacteristically
sleepy and inactive for the rest of the day. I put her in a pram
outside in order to keep her cool and she lay hardly moving with
her eyes half open. Soon she fell asleep for a couple of hours.
At 7.00 in the evening her Daddy cuddled her but she became nauseated
and vomited. We were becoming increasingly concerned and immediately
called the Peadiatrician. She was reassuring and said to just make
sure that she gets enough fluid and not to worry, as teeth always
cause different symptoms. Sugar & water was suggested as all
babies like sweet things!! We both tried to remain calm whilst feeling
totally helpless as we had never had to deal with Chiara being ill
and we knew that babies can be sick one minute and then recover
a few hours later.
By 8 p.m. Chiara was put to bed and her temperature
checked regularly. We found her lying rather still with her eyes
half open, staring with a glazed expression but she was asleep and
breathing normally.
Worriedly, we went to bed with the monitor right next
to us and at 1 a.m. there was a knocking sound. We rushed in to
find Chiara hitting the side of her cot. I picked her up and checked
her noting that her fontanel had dipped slightly indicating dehydration.
She was given more sugared water and we again checked her temperature.
It was only 1 degree above normal so we gave her some more Calpol.
Seconds after that Chiara had a convulsion, we were frantic so while
I held her, Christian got dressed. He took her to the car with me
following close behind. We rushed just one street away to the Clinique
Saint Michel. Chiara was immediately attended to by the medical
personnel. She was place on a heart monitor and an IV drip was started.
The diagnosis was pneumonia. By the time that the Pediatrician arrived,
Chiara had suffered another convulsion and they had administered
Valium to calm her. A sample of spinal fluid was obtained by lumbar
puncture to check for Meningitis. During that time we sat outside
just praying that the result would be negative. We were so worried
and just kept holding each other trying to stay calm. Christian
said, trying to remain positive and stop me from crying, that if
Chiara only had pneumonia then her chances were good as she was
such a strong healthy baby. The lumbar puncture appeared negative
but they transferred Chiara to Hospital St Luc so that they could
examine her neurologically.
On arrival Chiara was seen within minutes by the Accident
& Emergency team who examined her again. She was still conscious
as her eyes opened spontaneously upon stimulation. Another Lumbar
puncture was performed and again appeared negative. They sent the
liquid to the laboratory to be tested. One long hour later, at around
7 am, they confirmed that Chiara had Pneumococcal Meningitis. She
had already been receiving antibiotics through the IV drip but the
dosage was increased accordingly. She was immediately transferred
to Intensive Care for children. We frantically tried to call our
families to inform them of the situation we were so scared. We knew
that Chiara was in the best hands and just kept praying that she
could fight this vicious disease.
In the afternoon it became apparent that Chiara had
regressed neurologically and was breathing less regularly. The doctors
made the decision to place her on a respirator and give her heat
treatment to increase her heart rate. Shortly afterwards she had
some minor convulsions that were controlled. She was closely monitored
and remained stable for the next few hours. There was minimal mechanical
ventilation required and Chiara slept peacefully. Her visual, sound
& internal functions were monitored by modern technology throughout
the day.
Unaware of the situation, due to their mobile being
switched off, my parents arrived from England to spend a few days
with us prior to Chiaras' Baptism that was to be held on Saturday
6 April. They were totally shocked to learn of the situation having
only seen us all a few days before. We were so releaved to have
their support over this time.
During that night she was stable but the morning dawned
with more bad news to come. A CT Scan revealed that Chiaras' brain
was inflamed but she showed stability in her temperature & breathing.
The next neurological examination was even more unsettling as her
reflexes no longer responded to any stimulation. There was no spontaneous
respiration - she was clinically announced " Brain Dead."
The medical staff were wonderful even though at times
the language proved difficult. The pediatrician spoke calmly and
sypathetically explaining everything to us in English answering
any questions clearly and precisely. The nurses were all in tears
and had even put a pink ribbon in Chiaras' hair. On learning that
Chiara's condition was irreversible, we held her in our arms and
a lovely hospital priest baptised her. Shortly afterwards we confirmed
that we would like to donate her organs. Her heart went to save
a baby girl of 18 months and her kidneys were transplanted into
a young adult. We felt that we just could not bury her precious
and healthy organs when we could hopefully relieve other parents
of their misery by saving their children.
We loved Chiara so much and continue to suffer. We
will always remember our little baby girl as the happiest most content
child who brought so much joy to all the people that met her. She
was never sick and even slept through the night from 6 weeks. We
never had a sleepless night through her whole 8 and half months
and life seemed too good to be true!
I would like to tell you all that however life turns
out you must face it. In life several challenges confront you
and try to bring you down. However, you must stand upright to
look towards the future. So it is on a happier note that I would
like to announce the birth of Matthaeus Alexander, 10th February
2003. Just 10 months after her death, Chiara had a baby brother
and now with Lily Marlene a sister as well - we are a family again.
The Meningitis Trust has given us great support and
any monies given to it will go to research and support bereaved
families, if anyone feels that they would like to support the
work of the Meningitis Trust please go to the website www.meningitis-trust.org.uk and indicate your link with Chiara.
Fiona Marolt
18, rue Henri de Braeckeleer
B-1040 Brussels
fiona(at)marolt.com
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