A LITTLE boy whose life hung in the balance after he contracted meningitis has made a miracle recovery.

Frankie Moore, three, was rushed to Broomfield Hospital last month after he became unwell and his temperature soared to 40c.

Doctors feared he had meningitis and arranged an immediate transfer to St Mary’s Hospital in London, which specialised in infectious diseases.

Frankie, who did not develop a rash until several days after his hospital admission spent six days in intensive care.

His mum Louise Georghiou and dad Kevin Moore have thanked the doctors who saved his life.

Louise, of Everest Way, Heybridge, said: “Frankie became ill late Saturday night on September 17.

“At 7pm that night he was running around the field with the horses and at 8pm we went back to my mum’s in Burnham and he started to complain that his right armpit was hurting him and that he didn’t feel well.

“When we got home I put him on the sofa and took his temperature which read 38c, at this point he was shivering and looked really unwell.

"I then took his temperature again five minutes later which went up to 39c so I called for an ambulance.

“While I was on the phone to the ambulance he was sick twice, he also had a seizure, his eyes were rolling back and his speech was slurred, by the time the ambulance came his temperature was 40.6c.”

While waiting in A&E Frankie suffered another seizure and after being assessed he was rushed to a treatment room where doctors began to give him antibiotics.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

  • FAMILY: Frankie Moore with mum Louise Georghiou and dad Kevin Moore

Louise said: “The doctor was absolutely brilliant, she saved his life.

“By this point we knew it was serious, I looked up at one point and looked around in a daze and counted 13 doctors and nurses.

“Frankie’s bloods came back with high infection levels. The doctor informed us that she thought he had meningococcal septicaemia which is a form of meningitis.”

With Frankie’s condition worsening he was placed on a ventilator and a children’s ambulance transferred the family to London.

Frankie then spent six days in intensive care.

“When they finally brought him round it was clear once he had woken up he wasn’t right,” Louise said.

“He wasn’t responding, he looked through us. It was heart-breaking. Frankie is normally so clever and funny.”

An MRI scan later revealed the infection had spread to Frankie’s brain and left him only able to move his left leg.

Louise said: “We played his favourite song to him – Queen’s We will Rock You and he smiled.

“But it was clear there was something wrong with his right side. His face was drooped on that side and he couldn’t move his arm or leg.

“From that moment every day he has progressed.

“Everyday he is doing something new. Three days after that smile he started to say mum. I was thrilled.

“I thought I’d never hear his voice again.”

Over the next few days he began gain movement on the right side of his body and is now beginning to walk again.

Louise said: “We thought he wouldn’t be Frankie ever again. We thought the meningitis had taken him away from us for good but he’s proved us all wrong and he’s fighting it hard.

“As for his right armpit that’s where the infection had started in his bone, which is very rare.”

Frankie may have to spend time in Tadworth, a children’s rehabilitation centre in Surrey, before returning home.

Louise said: “We’re hoping he makes a full recovery, as he’s done so well in the two-and-a-half weeks of being here.

“I never knew how serious meningitis was until now. You don’t realise what people go through until you go through it yourself.

“We’re so lucky Frankie is as strong as he is, otherwise I don’t think he would ever of got through it.

“It’s a nasty horrible infection that shuts down your entire body so quickly.”