Girl's meningitis leads to quadruple amputation

The family of a five-year-old girl who had a quadruple amputation after contracting a rare form of meningitis said the "fact she's alive is a huge miracle".

Saffanah, from Stockton-on-Tees, fell ill in January after complaining of a stiff neck and light sensitivity, and within 24 hours she was in an induced coma.

Her khalas - which is the Urdu word for aunties - praised the NHS who worked "tirelessly" to save their niece's life.

They have organised a community event later in the month to raise awareness of symptoms and to help people get used to Saffanah's "new normal".

The youngster's infection led to meningococcal septicaemia.

Doctors told her family that if her mother had not taken her to urgent care that morning, she would not have survived.

Her symptoms included a rash on her forehead, a headache and vomiting.

Saffanah had all of her vaccinations, but the MenACWY vaccine is only offered to teenagers and students going to university for the first time - so she was not protected from the Y variant of the disease she had contracted.

One of her khalas, Zulaikha Zeb, said it was a very rare infection and it was not known where she picked it up.

"We don't know how it's happened," she said.

The family said they had worked with Public Health England to track where the infection had come from, but it was inconclusive.

They were all given precautionary antibiotics as soon as Saffanah was diagnosed.

• How can I spot the signs of meningitis?

Saffanah had her lower legs and forearms amputated in March at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary as a result of compartment syndrome.

Khala Taiba Shafiq said it had been a "rollercoaster" but Saffanah was back to her "sassy self".

The family said they were unsure whether she understood she had lost the lower parts of her limbs because she was still in bandages.

Saffanah's forearms were removed just below her elbows. Taiba said her niece uses them to "tickle us, and scratch her head and play guess who?"

Mrs Zeb added: "She's mostly asking questions around doing stuff, like how she's going to get to places rather than asking: 'What's happened to me?'"

Khala Zainab Nabeel said faith and family had got them through the last few months.

"We are so lucky to be under the NHS," Mrs Nabeel said.

"They have worked tirelessly to save our niece's life."

Saffanah's khalas - who all work in healthcare on Teesside - made a plea to their community not to discriminate against her when she returns from hospital.

"She's normal, she's absolutely normal," Mrs Nabeel said.

"She's a limb difference baby and we need to let the community know that we're proud of how far she's come and we want them to be proud as well."

They are holding a talk in Stockton on 28 April and have invited a guest speaker who has a lived experience of amputations.

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