This is the story of our loss on April 4th, 2002. Chiara Jane Elizabeth Marolt 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 sympathetically 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 and indicate your link with Chiara.

Fiona Robinson