Tragedy as 10-Year-Old Girl Loses Legs, Arm After Meningitis Diagnosis

A 10-year-old school girl lost both her legs and her right arm after being diagnosed with meningitis. Penelope Vidal-Walsh, from Southport, was rushed to hospital after complaining she felt sick to her parents.

She woke up on April 11 with a “bruise many parents wouldn’t suspect as unusual” before going to bed feeling unwell at around 9pm. She then woke up hours later and vomited before her dad, Ricardo Vidal, put her in the bath. He didn’t notice anything of concern, so she went back to bed.

The following morning, Penelope’s dad noticed a small purple mark on her neck, the Liverpool Echo reports. Her mum then noticed a purple rash on her knee before she was taken to Ormskirk Hospital.

Penelope was then transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where she was diagnosed with meningitis and rushed to intensive care. Her dad said she has spent the last “99 days fighting and now recovering”.

He said: “During this time she beat the meningococcal disease and also a very rare fungal infection which caused severe complications. As part of her treatment Penelope underwent a triple amputation surgery, which resulted in her losing her lower limbs and her right arm.

“She is currently undergoing skin grafting surgery as part of her rehabilitation and recovery. She has made huge progress and improvement and is even using a wheelchair and building up her core strength as well as the strength in her left arm.”

He added: “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, heartache and anxiety. But as her parents we remain forever grateful that she is still with us and for all the incredible dedication and hard work that the staff here at Alder Hey and Ormskirk Children’s A&E have done, they saved our Penelope’s life.”

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Penelope remains on the critical care unit at Alder Hey as she prepares for a skin graft. However, her dad said she could be discharged around October if everything goes to plan.

Penelope in recovery following her surgery (Image: Ricardo Vidal)
The family are now raising funds for her future so she has the “best possible chance of living an independent life.” Ricardo added: “We want to give her the best quality life and opportunities to fulfil any of her dreams and hopes that she had before this occurred.

“We want her to be able to not let this deter her from being the most energetic, fun, lively girl that she always has been.

“She remains determined and motivated to keep building her strength. The strength and resilience she shows us every day is just incredible and we are just so proud of her.”