RTE star Claire Byrne has revealed how she almost died when she was a teenager, after contracting meningitis.
At the age of 14, Claire was hospitalised for a month – and even had her last rites read.
Speaking to the Irish Times, Claire recalled, “For me, it was just I got sick and I got better.
“But now, when I look back and think that my parents had to stand by the bed while I got the last rites, I think, God, if I was going through that with my kids, I don’t think I’d be able to think about it.”
“I remember snatches of [the last rites]. There were oils and strange prayers I didn’t understand. My mother still doesn’t like to talk about the meningitis incident.”
Following her stint in the hospital, Claire was sent home to continue her recovery. While she was on the mend, the broadcaster will never forget how much it drained her.
“I was tired for about two years. Tired and exhausted, coming home from school and falling asleep.
“I should have lost my hearing or lost a limb or lost my sight. I was extremely lucky; being a bit tired is actually not a bad outcome.”
Fellow Irish star James Patrice also suffered from meningitis when he was a child.
In 2010, the presenter fell ill at his family home, and his mum noticed red marks on his leg. He was rushed to hospital where his family was quickly informed he had meningitis and septicaemia.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said, “They told my Mum and Dad the next 48 hours were going to be critical, and whether I would make it or not, they didn’t know.
“I was in the hospital for ten days. For two days, it was critical, I was in intensive care and I had lumbar punctures. I was drifting in and out and I remember bits of it.”