Pete Hynes, aged 40, caught a cold that affected the rest of the family in December 2022, after suddenly experiencing an earache on a Saturday morning. However, his condition quickly worsened minutes later and Hynes collapsed to the floor. Tests conducted on Pete Hynes at the hospital after being transported by ambulance revealed a deadly infection known as meningitis. Meningitis is caused by the lethal bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, which infects the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. This infection progresses rapidly, affecting blood vessels in a short time, leading to bleeding in the skin and organs. Usually, this condition triggers life-threatening sepsis.

Speaking to The Mirror, Pete Hynes’s family mentioned that despite doctors’ efforts, he passed away in just three hours. Lou Hynes, Pete’s wife, described the devastating shock of her husband’s death, saying, “We could never have known that our lives would change forever after that day.” Meningitis is a disease that affects approximately 8,000 people in the UK every year. Children, infants, and young adults with weakened immune systems are among the most affected groups. Bacterial meningitis is the most severe and rarest form, affecting only one out of 100,000 people. A quarter of cases in adults result in fatality.

Symptoms of meningitis include sudden fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms may be confused with the flu or stomach ailments, but the infection spreads rapidly and can turn into sepsis. Sepsis is when the body’s excessive immune response to an infection begins to harm its own organs.

Small red rashes often develop in patients with meningitis or sepsis. These rashes may spread as bruises due to restricted blood flow. These types of rashes disappear, for example, when pressed under a glass.

Pete Hynes’s loss had a lasting impact on his family. Lou Hynes described her emotional collapse after her husband’s death, saying, “I’ve never experienced anything like it before. The children would come in and talk to me, but I couldn’t hear any words or even move.” Lou Hynes mentioned that she couldn’t come to terms with Pete’s death for months, stating, “Paralysis was the pinnacle of not understanding Pete’s death. The reality hit suddenly. Everything led to this collapse.” Hynes expressed her feelings, saying, “To be honest, I fell into such a deep void that, no matter what anyone said, I didn’t care. I was utterly lost.”

The tragic loss experienced by the Hynes family once again highlights how fast and devastating meningitis can be.