Brothers who both had meningitis within a year lucky to be alive
Two brothers from Wrexham, Saul and Drew Darlington, survived meningitis infections within a year of each other during their teenage years. They later discovered they both suffer from properdin deficiency, a rare condition that increases susceptibility to such infections. The brothers are now raising awareness for meningitis and plan to complete an Ironman challenge to support related charities.
- ▪Saul and Drew Darlington both contracted meningitis as teenagers, with Drew falling ill almost exactly one year after Saul.
- ▪Medical tests revealed that both brothers have properdin deficiency, a rare immunodeficiency that makes them more vulnerable to infections.
- ▪Drew spent two weeks in the hospital and required immediate ambulance transport after a doctor noticed a rash, which likely saved his life.
- ▪The brothers are currently taking daily antibiotics and are planning to take on an Ironman challenge next year to support meningitis charities.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6zxzj7dkq94o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:17:57 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-29T05:19:54.570Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-29T05:19:54.570Z |
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Brothers who both had meningitis within a year lucky to be alive Image source, Drew DarlingtonImage caption, Saul and Drew had meningitis as teenagers ByNelli BirdBBC WalesPublished28 September 2026Updated 1 minute agoTwo brothers who contracted meningitis within a year of each other say they are lucky to be alive.Saul and Drew Darlington from Wrexham, now 29 and 26, initially thought it was a "weird" coincidence they both caught the illness as teenagers but later learnt they had a rare condition which meant they were susceptible to it."The day I had it, if I had gone to sleep that night, I'd have probably died," said Saul who, along with his brother, now wants to raise awareness of the symptoms of meningitis, particularly among young people.Nearly 20,000 young people have been vaccinated…
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