Brave girl, 4, who lost all her limbs to meningitis shows how she refuses to beaten by disease in inspiring message
The video will start in 8 Cancel
Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
A brave four-year-old girl who lost all her limbs to meningitis has delivered an inspiring message on how she refuses to be beaten by the disease.
Quadruple amputee Harmonie-Rose Allen opened up about her fight against the deadly infection in a new video for World Meningitis Day.
Moving footage shows the defiant youngster trying to grasp a pen so she can write as she plays in her bedroom filled with toys.
Reading out the symptoms of meningitis, Harmonie-Rose, from Bath, says: "I beat meningitis because I was really happy."
Her parents Freya and Ross probably never expected to see their daughter talking and laughing after her battle, Somerset Live reports.
(Image: Somerset Live WS)
(Image: Somerset Live WS)
Brave tot who lost all her limbs to meningitis makes her TV debut on Call the Midwife
Diagnosed with Meningitis B when she was 10 months old, doctors had to remove all of her limbs to save her from the disease.
In the video shot by the charity Meningitis Now, she runs through the signs and symptoms of an illness which shaped her life - but which she ultimately defeated.
(Image: Somerset Live WS)
Hamonie-Rose delivers the key messages the charity want her to share - and proudly declares she "knows loads" about Meningitis..
But the short film is at its most moving when it delves behind the scenes, showing the moments the film crew were simply hanging out with Harmonie-Rose.
(Image: Somerset Live WS)
(Image: Somerset Live WS)
The caption of the video reads in one section: "The disease may have taken her arms and legs but she didn't let it take her spirit!"
Viewers learn she doesn't like pizza and that her favourite dinner is pasta bake.
Meningitis and Septicaemia Facts Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord; usually caused by bacteria or viruses.
Some bacteria that cause meningitis also cause septicaemia (blood poisoning).
The early signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia can be similar to ‘flu and include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and muscle pain. More specific signs and symptoms include fever with cold hands and feet, drowsiness, confusion, pale blotchy skin, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights and a rash which doesn’t fade under pressure. In babies, symptoms include being floppy and unresponsive, dislike of being handled, rapid breathing, an unusual, moaning cry and a bulging fontanelle (soft spot on the top of the head). There are an estimated 3,200 cases of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia each year in the UK. Following bacterial meningitis or septicaemia, one in ten people will die and at least a third of survivors will be left with lifelong after-effects such as hearing loss, epilepsy, limb loss or learning difficulties. It can affect anyone, but most at risk are babies, young children and teenagers.
Vaccines give protection against SOME types of meningitis. BUT there are not vaccines to protect against ALL types.
types of meningitis. there are not vaccines to protect against types. If you suspect meningitis or septicaemia, trust your instincts and get immediate medical help.
At the end of the video Harmonie-Rose passes a pieces of paper she's been writing on to the lady behind the camera and asks her to "take it down to mummy please!".
(Image: Somerset Live WS)
There's then a conversation about how tiring writing is, before Harmonie-Rose leans back and declares she's going to have a "little lie down".
In March last year, Harmonie-Rose made her acting debut on BBC's Call the Midwife .
Then three, she played a victim of Thalidomide, medication that was found to harm the development of unborn babies and cause serious birth defects.
Mum Freya said: "Harmonie loved it, she didn't stop smiling.
"She felt like a little celebrity.