Bucks Fizz’s Jay Aston recalls the moment doctors said daughter Josie could ‘die’ battling meningitis.

Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston has shared the horrifying moment doctors told her her daughter Josie, 19, “might die” while battling bacterial meningitis.

Josie was hospitalized in March this year after feeling unwell at home. Her mother saved her life after realizing the signs of the disease after her husband previously had a near-death experience from the disease.

The Making Your Mind Up hitmaker, 61, opened up about the ordeal by being told Josie only had a 50/50 chance of survival, with Jay joined by the teenager in her first interview since her recovery.

Heartbreaking: Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston has shared the horrific moment doctors told her her daughter Josie, 19, ‘might die’ as she was battling bacterial meningitis

Describing the heartbreaking news she received that there was a possibility she could lose her daughter, Jay told Lorraine Kelly: “She got in there [hospital] about half past two in the morning and 10am later that day they gave us the 50/50.

“They put me in this room and said, ‘She can die.’ And your ears just shut up, I said, “I beg your pardon? What did you say?” I just couldn’t hear it. Later that day they induced the coma.

Josie also told the presenter how she initially believed she had sunstroke after spending time in the sun, telling how she was boiling hot and shaking and how the ordeal “happened so quickly”.

Bad: Josie [L] was hospitalized in March this year after feeling unwell at home, with her mother saving her life after realizing the signs of the disease after her husband previously had a near-death experience from the disease

She said: “I felt a bit uncomfortable, I was shaking uncontrollably. I thought it was heat stroke… then the flu.”

However, after examining her daughter – who had spent the night in her bed – Jay realized it was something more serious when she noticed three red dots on her arm, which she described as “Dalmatian spots”.

The star recognized the rash and Josie’s other symptoms, including a headache, neck pain and a temperature, which did not go away as meningitis with acetaminophen because her husband Dave Colquhoun, Josie’s father, had contracted it 19 years earlier.

She took her to the hospital, which doctors said saved Josie’s life, and within an hour, Josie was covered all over with the rash.

Chat: The Making Your Mind Up hitmaker, 61, opened up on the ordeal by being told Josie only had a 50/50 chance of surviving, with Jay joined by the teenager in her first interview since her recovery

Symptoms: The star recognized the rash and Josie’s other symptoms including headache, neck pain and fever as meningitis like her husband Dave Colquhoun, Josie’s father [pictured]She had contracted it 19 years earlier

Worst Nightmare: “They left me in this room and said, ‘She can die’. And your ears just shut up, I said, “I beg your pardon? What did you say?” I just couldn’t hear it

The next day, when her lungs began to fail, she was taken to intensive care, where she was placed in an induced coma, put on oxygen and given antibiotics.

Josie remained in the coma for five days while Jay slept in a chair next to her bed until doctors pulled her out of the coma, but there was no improvement.

After five days, Josie opened her eyes, and after a day she began to speak. She was transferred to a specialist unit at Kings College Hospital in London after doctors found her kidneys were damaged.

Although Josie survived the ordeal, the long-term side effects of the disease lingered, with Jay explaining: “Her kidneys aren’t right yet. The last blood test she had only worked 12%.

Dunno: Josie also told the presenter how she initially thought she had sunstroke after spending time in the sun, recounting how she was boiling hot and shaking and that the ordeal “happened so quickly”.

Signs: After examining her daughter – who had spent the night in her bed – Jay realized it was something more serious when she noticed three red dots on her arm, which she described as ‘Dalmatian spots’. [joined by doctor Hillary Jones]

“Therefore, we hope that she can later avoid dialysis or a transplant. They’ve started moving – it stayed at seven and it’s getting better every week.

“They will be testing them at the end of the month and our only prayer is that we get them to 20% and out of the red zone.”

Bacterial meningitis usually occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord.

Still suffering: Although Josie survived the ordeal, the long-term side effects of the illness lingered, with Jay explaining: ‘Her kidneys aren’t right yet. The last blood test she had only worked 12%.

It is much more serious and less common than viral meningitis, and one in 10 cases is fatal.

Possible side effects include brain damage, hearing loss, and amputation of the affected limb.

Jay has been going through her own health struggles, undergoing seven surgeries – including removing part of her tongue – to cure her oral cancer in 2018 and fight Covid in 2021.

WHAT IS MENINGITIS?

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

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

Individuals exposed to secondhand smoke or whose immune systems are compromised, such as patients undergoing chemotherapy, are also at greater risk.

The most common forms of meningitis are bacterial and viral.

Symptoms for both include:

• Pale, mottled skin with a rash that won’t fade when squeezed with a glass
• Stiff neck
• Aversion to bright lights
• Fever and cold hands and feet
• Vomit
• sleepiness
• Strong headache

Headache is one of the main symptoms

Bacterial meningitis

Bacterial meningitis requires urgent hospital treatment with antibiotics.

About 10 percent of bacterial cases are fatal.

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

Limb amputation is a possible side effect when septicemia (blood poisoning) occurs.

Vaccines are available against certain strains of bacteria that cause meningitis, such as tuberculosis.

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 in the UK each year.

Treatment focuses on hydration, pain medication, and rest.

Although ineffective, antibiotics can be given when patients arrive at the hospital just in case they have the bacterial form of the disease.

Source: Meningitis Now