A RADCLIFFE toddler has astounded doctors by making a miraculous recovery from meningitis.

At one point Georgianna Russo of James Street was given just two hours to live, but now she is looking forward to starting school in September.

And her mother wants to let other parents know that meningitis is not necessarily a death sentence.

Mrs Denise Russo (37, pictured with Georgina) and her husband Phil (30) feared the worst when their three-year-old daughter was struck down with the illness last month.

"Even today it still seems like a bad dream; the doctors can't believe she pulled through," said Mrs Russo.

The trauma began last month when Georgie complained of feeling "wobbly" one morning.

Mrs Russo said: "Friday the 13th certainly lived up to its reputation. Georgie was shivering and hot and, because chickenpox was going around, I assumed she'd got it and checked her body for spots."

That probably saved Georgie's life because Mrs Russo found three tiny spots on her stomach and remembered this was one of the signs of meningitis.

"I felt sick. It's what every parent dreads. We took her to Bury General Hospital and they rushed her by ambulance to Fairfield General Hospital."

Doctors pumped 150 ml of antibiotic into Georgie's body and blood transfusions followed.

"They told us that if we had left it for another two hours Georgie would be dead," said Mrs Russo.

Worse followed when tests showed Georgie had septicaemia meningococcal nyseria meningitis group B - a particularly rare strain of the virus.

"It was like a smack across the face to me. I didn't know there are 118 different strains of meningitis. I felt numb with shock," said Mrs Russo.

"Like many people I gained most of my information about the illness from newspapers and television and thought that even if she survived she would be brain-damaged or deaf."

Georgie's condition was complicated by her contracting viral meningitis, too, which left the inside of her mouth looking like it had been burned. "She was on oxygen in a high-risk unit with needles in every vein and was under ten-minute observation.

"The doctors said they had done all they could and the only hope was that Georgie's own body would have the strength to fight and survive," said Mrs Russo.

She and her husband virtually lived at the hospital and slept there, too, while relatives cared for the couple's three other children. On the seventh day Georgie showed signs of perking up when nurses played a video of her favourite film star, Jim Carrey.

She improved day by day and, finally, after twelve days in hospital, she was allowed to return home.

The whole family were screened and given the "all clear". Although Georgie still has to go for weekly check-ups she is now running around and playing like any other healthy three-year-old.

But the fear and ignorance that surrounds meningitis is something that Mrs Russo is fighting to change.

"People still cross the road to avoid me when I'm out with Georgie, which can be very hurtful.

"There are so many horror stories about this illness and very little hope is given, but I want people to know that there is something positive to grab at. Meningitis is not an automatic death sentence. Georgie survived and so will others."

Mrs Russo is also urging parents to learn more about the signs of the illness - she was able to recognise the symptoms only thanks to a leaflet she had got from her doctor two years previously.

"I don't want other parents to find out about it when it is too late. I would urge them to get as many facts about the illness so they know the warning signs.

"Even if they have the slightest suspicion their child has meningitis I would tell them to get to their doctor or go to the hospital as soon as possible. If I had waited overnight before I took Georgie she would have been dead now. The doctors said I saved her life by taking such immediate action and I hope others will do the same."

The National Meningitis Trust operates a 24-hour support line on 0345 538118 and a 24-hour information line on 0891 715577.

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