Sheffield woman raises £4,000 for charity Meningitis Now which helped her through the grief of losing her husband

Michelle Jackson has praised staff at the charity Meningitis Now for the support they all gave to her when she needed it the most, as she prepares to spend her third Christmas without husband Stuart.

Stuart Jackson first fell ill on December 13, 2017, at the age of 56. He was taken to hospital and admitted to intensive care, where he died on December 21.

After his death, Michelle was visited by one of the Meningitis Now’s community support officers.

She said: “The first support I received was a visit from Christine Mather, the day after the funeral. She brought with her a pack full of leaflets and information on what Meningitis Now can do and who they were, plus leaflets from other organisations that may also help.

“This included one called ‘WAY - Widowed and Young’. This group changed my life and without Meningitis Now telling me about it I may never have found them. I joined the group straight away and it really helped me to cope.”

Michelle, who has given back to the charity by raising an amazing £4,000 since Stuart died, also said that Meningitis Now had offered her counselling when she was ready for that step.

“The counselling helped me to come to terms with the changes in my life. It also stopped me from feeling guilty for surviving this traumatic experience and that it had been Stuart that got ill and not me.

“This will always be a difficult time of year for anyone who is grieving a loved one, but I would encourage anyone to reach out for support. If you are living with the impact of meningitis in any way then make sure you contact Meningitis Now. They really were there for me when I needed it most.”

Meningitis is usually associated with babies, toddlers and teenagers, so following Stuart’s death Michelle decided to support Meningitis Now’s Adults Get It Too campaign to highlight that it can affect older people as well.

Christine said: “I am in awe of Michelle for doing so much amazing fundraising.”

Visit www.meningitisnow.org or call the Meningitis Now helpline on 0808 80 10 388 for more information.