Woman’s heartbreak as she goes from newlywed to widow in 10 months

From newlywed to widow in just 10 months: Woman, 46, reveals her heartbreak after mistaking signs of meningitis for a common bug which turned into deadly sepsis

• Michelle Jackson, from Warrington, Cheshire, lost her husband within a year
• He died in December 2017, two months before their first wedding anniversary
• Stuart Jackson, 56, died of sepsis, a complication of bacterial meningitis
• He thought he was suffering with a cold but passed away within three weeks
• Widowed Mrs Jackson is now telling their story to warn others about symptoms 

A heartbroken woman has revealed how she had to organise her husband’s funeral less than a year after marrying him.

Michelle Jackson, 46, tied the knot with her husband Stuart, then 56, in February last year, but just 10 months later he died from sepsis.

Mr Jackson had been suffering from what he thought was a cold for just over a week when he took a turn for the worse and had to be rushed to intensive care.

Medics confirmed he had bacterial meningitis – a brain infection – which progressed to the even more deadly sepsis, in which the body attacks itself. 

Mr Jackson died after eight days in hospital in December, and Mrs Jackson, from Warrington, Cheshire, was left facing the first Christmas after her wedding alone.

Some 200 people then turned out for Mr Jackson’s funeral in January this year, and his widow is sharing her story to help others recognise the early warning signs of meningitis. 

Mrs Jackson says the confusion, drowsiness, fever, stiff neck and headaches her husband suffered were all pointing to something far worse than a common cold.

Michelle Jackson married her late husband Stuart in St Lucia in the Caribbean in February 2017 after the pair bonded over their love for travelling

Mrs Jackson, whose husband Stuart’s symptoms were initially mistaken for a ‘winter bug’, is warning people not to wait for the tell-tale meningitis rash before seeking expert help.

Retail supervisor Mrs Jackson, married Stuart in St Lucia in the Caribbean on February 1 2017 after they originally bonded over their love for travelling.

She said: ‘I don’t want this to happen to anybody else. 

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‘Don’t wait for the tell-tale meningitis rash. Stuart was ill for eight days and he never got it.

‘If you have a serious health worry, don’t be afraid to ask if it could be meningitis. Don’t let yourself be overlooked.’

When Mrs Jackson promised to love her husband, who also worked in retail, ’til death us do part’ at a stunning St Lucia beach resort overlooking the ocean, she could never have imagined how soon that day would come.

Mr Jackson spent a week in intensive care before he died – Mrs Jackson took this picture of him with the intention of showing him after he recovered 

But, just before their first Christmas as husband and wife, he started feeling ill.

‘We all thought it was a cold or a winter bug’ 

Initially, they assumed he had picked up a winter bug.

He had a weakened immune system because of anti-inflammatory drugs he had been taking since falling off a stepladder onto his elbow in February 2010.

‘He was run down, but it didn’t seem like anything to worry about,’ said Mrs Jackson. ‘Like a stubborn bloke, he didn’t want to trouble the doctor.

‘We all thought it was just a cold or a bug.’

But, on 13 December, Mr Jackson suddenly deteriorated, appearing confused and disorientated, and unable to properly wake up after going for a nap.

As she tried to rouse him, Mrs Jackson noticed a bucket by the bed where he had been sick.

After he began vomiting Mrs Jackson called an ambulance 

Concerned, she rang 111 – the non-emergency NHS number – who told her to call an ambulance.

‘At this point, pure panic was setting in,’ she said. ‘Paramedics arrived and managed to get Stuart up to help him down the stairs.

‘He wasn’t exactly with it, but he was awake enough to be on his feet. I prayed the ambulance was just a precaution. I never thought we’d be dealing with anything that bad.’

Arriving at Warrington Hospital, Stuart was whisked through for blood tests, which revealed very high infection markers.

Mr and Mrs Jackson thought his symptoms were just a cold until he became confused and disorientated and could not wake up from a nap

Unable to sit still, he had to be sedated before medics could run a CT scan.

‘At that point I knew it was serious. He was hooked up to a ventilator with a tube in his neck,’ said Mrs Jackson. ‘I had no idea what was happening.’

He spent a week in intensive care 

Soon after, doctors told her he had suspected meningitis before taking him to intensive care, where he remained for a week.

During this time it was confirmed he had streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis – a bacterial form of the disease.

Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous form of the disease and needs urgent hospital treatment.

It mostly affects children and young people but anyone can get it at any age.

The condition causes parts of the brain and spinal cord to swell and can lead to blood poisoning or other complications, such as sepsis.

‘I really thought he’d be okay’ 

Given hope when he began showing tiny signs of progress, Mrs Jackson recalled: ‘The steps were minute, but they were in the right direction.

‘He’d attempt to open his eyes or grip my finger.

‘Progress was slow, but it was always going to be after going through something like that. I really thought that, while it might be a long road, he’d be okay.’

But, tragically, Mr Jackson – who had met his wife at a friend’s wedding after they had both been married before – took a turn for the worse.

The pair, who had both been married before, got hitched in a very private ceremony in the Caribbean with just two friends Derek and Jackie (pictured right and left) as witnesses

On 21 December, eight days after first being admitted to hospital, he developed sepsis – a rare but serious condition, where the body attacks itself as a response to an infection. 

Sepsis is a fast-progressing condition and can lead to multiple organ failure and death. 

WHAT IS MENINGITIS?

Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.

Anyone can be affected but at-risk people include those aged under five, 15-to-24 and over 45.

People exposed to passive smoking or with suppressed immune systems, such as patients undergoing chemotherapy, are also more at risk.

The most common forms of meningitis are bacterial and viral.

Symptoms for both include:

• Pale, blotchy skin with a rash that does not fade when compressed with a glass
• Stiff neck
• Dislike of bright lights  
• Fever, and cold hands and feet
• Vomiting
• Drowsiness 
• Severe headache 

Bacterial meningitis 

Bacterial meningitis requires urgent treatment at hospital with antibiotics.  

Some 10 per cent of bacterial cases are fatal.

Of those who survive, one in three suffer complications, including brain damage and hearing loss.  

Viral meningitis 

Viral is rarely life-threatening but can cause long-lasting effects, such as headaches, fatigue and memory problems. 

Thousands of people suffer from viral meningitis every year in the UK. 

Treatment focuses on hydration, painkillers and rest. 

Source: Meningitis Now 

Around 123,000 cases of sepsis are diagnosed each year in England and about 37,000 people die of it. 

‘Stuart’s heart stopped and he couldn’t be saved’

Despite doctors’ best efforts, fighting to resuscitate him as his heart failed, Mr Jackson died later the same day.

Mrs Jackson said: ‘I didn’t know much about sepsis before that.

‘A friend’s husband had fought it twice and been okay, so I thought it was something you came out the other side of.

‘But Stuart’s heart stopped and he couldn’t be saved.

‘I was devastated. It all happened so quickly. My heart broke that day, and my whole future was wiped out.

Mr Jackson proposed on Christmas Eve but did not live to see the next Christmas with his new wife

‘The next day, I went home and ripped down all the Christmas decorations. I couldn’t face the idea of the day without him.’

Christmas was a particularly special time for the couple because Mr Jackson had proposed on Christmas Eve 2015.

Determined to be unique, he had presented Mrs Jackson with two cards – one a regular Christmas card, the other reading, ‘to my fiancé.’ 

But rather than enjoying the day with the love of her life, with whom she had tied the knot in a low-key service with just two friends as witnesses, she was left to plan his funeral.  

His funeral was before the couple’s first wedding anniversary 

On January 9 this year he was laid to rest, less than a month before their first wedding anniversary. 

Around 200 mourners turned out to pay their respects, with family asking them to make donations to the charity Meningitis Now in Stuart’s name.

Mrs Jackson continued: ‘The funeral was hard, but it was wonderful to see how many people loved him.

‘Our wedding anniversary was an exceptionally difficult day, though. I asked people to stay away and give me the peace and quiet to process everything.’

Mr Jackson, pictured with wife Michelle on his 50th birthday, died aged just 56 and before the pair’s first wedding anniversary

The couple had first bonded over their love of travel – pictured swimming with a dolphin in Cuba

Since her husband’s funeral, Mrs Jackson has raised around £2,500 for Meningitis Now. 

Grateful for charity’s help and counselling

‘Meningitis Now are just incredible. They sent out a support worker two days after the funeral and we’ve worked together ever since,’ she explained.

‘They have organised for me to have bereavement counselling and even offered to help with funeral expenses.

‘I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford it, so I declined, as I thought it was better to go to another family in need, but to even offer that support was a real help.

‘Another charity, Widowed and Young, have also been a great comfort by showing me I’m not alone.’

Mrs Jackson is now telling her husband’s story to warn others about the less obvious signs of meningitis

Now, Mrs Jackson is speaking out in a bid to raise awareness of some of the less obvious signs of meningitis, like confusion and drowsiness, a fever, stiff neck and headaches.

She has also released a harrowing photo of Stuart in hospital, which she originally hoped to show him when he recovered, so he could see how much he had improved.

She said: ‘People may wonder why I have that picture, but I took it because I wanted to show him how far he’d come. He’d never have believed me.

‘I hope by speaking out I can educate people about meningitis, and even save a life.

‘I look back now and still cannot believe I went from married to widowed in the same year.

‘Stuart wasn’t one for sitting on the side lines. His life motto, ironically, was, ‘Live for now, because you never know when your time is up.’

‘But I don’t think either of us ever imagined that day would happen so soon.’ 

For information about the infection, visit the Meningitis Now website

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