Levana Hanson was four months old when her parents had to make the agonising decision to amputate her legs. Levana had meningococcal septicaemia, and without amputation she would almost certainly have died.
She was rushed to hospital after her mother, Glenda, found a deep-purple rash on her skin - a sign of septicaemia or blood poisoning, a disease closely allied to meningitis. The septicaemia ravaged Levana's body, particularly her legs, and the doctors advised amputation in a final attempt to save her life.
One-to-one care
Levana endured many operations and was eventually allowed home after nearly five months in hospital. But, as Glenda explains, life after meningitis isn't always plain sailing.
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