To mark what would have been Ruben’s first birthday, I have chosen to walk 100km (62 miles) in July in the hope of raising awareness of Group B Strep and it’s devastating effects. If you’re able to donate, thank you from the bottom of my heart. But equally and more importantly by just sharing Ruben’s story, I hope it will help to educate other families and possibly help to save other babies.

We’ve never never shared Ruben’s story fully, but it’s so important to be aware how rapidly GBS can take hold. Ruben was 29 days old and a beautiful growing, happy baby. I remember that Friday evening so clearly; he fed as normal but was violently sick. His breathing was slightly laboured and he made a funny little noise when I put him down; he just wasn’t himself & something made us phone for an ambulance. Whilst on the way to the hospital his temperature spiked and his heart rate rose. That was the beginning of all the doctors, nurses, tubes and machines.

Ruben deteriorated very quickly. Within a few hours he was put on a ventilator and transferred to Southampton PICU for specialist treatment. It wasn’t until the next day we received the diagnosis of late onset GBS that had developed into meningitis and sepsis. They think he may have been exposed to GBS when I was induced during labour and it lay dormant.

Over the next 4 days, Ruben underwent numerous CT, MRI scans, and brain monitoring but things went downhill, his poor little body was overwhelmed with the bacteria. He began to suffer multiple seizures, each one hinting that there was extensive brain damage.  We had to make the heart wrenching decision no parent should ever have to make; to move Ruben to a hospice and take him off his ventilator. He passed away peacefully between John and I on 4th August 2022, at just 33 days old.

Group B Streptococcus is the UK's most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies and of meningitis in babies under age 3 months. On average in the UK, at least-two babies a day develop a group B Strep infection -one baby a week dies from their GBS infection, and-one baby a week survives with long-term disabilities physical, mental or both.Yet most group B Strep infections are preventable. Group B Strep Support informs families & health professionals about group B Strep to save tiny lives