NOBODY could have failed to be moved by the tragic death of young Emily Davidson from meningitis.

Every year, families from across the UK are devastated by the sudden deaths of children and young people from the vicious disease.

The loss of the Malvern youngster hit one grandfather from the area particularly hard.

However, this was not because his children or grandchildren had been struck down by the illness.

David Rutter, from the Malvern village of Guarlford, almost died from meningitis himself at the age of 58.

Eleven years ago, the former company director was travelling all over the world on business and was in good health.

After meningitis struck, he was barely able to write his own name.

As with seven-year-old Emily, the illness struck without warning and at remarkable speed.

"My routine was to take the dog for a walk across the fields in the morning before going into the office," he said.

"One morning, I woke up with a dull headache. After the walk, I was suffering from searing head pains."

Not long after this, he started vomiting. Mr Rutter's wife, Margaret, acted quickly and called their GP, who gave him tablets.

He managed to get to bed after struggling up the stairs. By the time his GP returned following his morning surgery, Mr Rutter was having epileptic seizures.

"He called an ambulance, and I went into unconsciousness at about that time," he said.

He was taken to Ronkswood hospital, where it was quickly established that he had pneumococcal meningitis. He remained unconscious for six days.

"The doctors told my wife and sons they couldn't give me any more drugs while I was unconscious," he said. "If I was going to recover, I had to use my inner resources of strength."

When he eventually came round, Mr Rutter had no idea what had happened to him and he was amazed to hear he had been laid low by meningitis.

"My immediate reaction was 'I'm too old to get that,'" he said. "I thought I had suffered a heart attack.

"I then wondered what damage it had done to me."

He quickly found out. When his wife asked him to write a message in a birthday card, he could not work out what to write. He finally just about managed to write his name.

He suffered memory loss, and had to learn how to walk, read and write again.

While still in hospital, his occupational therapist gave him a task to complete. He had to make a wire coat hanger, something that shouldn't have been too taxing for a high-flying businessman.

"It took me something like three hours to make it," he said.

After beating the illness, Mr Rutter, a father-of-two and grandfather-of-four, had to have an operation on his skull when it was discovered that the lining of his brain had been attacked.

He battled his way back to full fitness, and returned to work, part-time, six months later.

He was working full-time again within 12 months, but the ordeal has left some permanent damage. Mr Rutter is still deaf in one ear, has no sense of smell or taste, and still suffers head pains from time to time.

"It was a devastating experience," he said. "The message I want to get across to people is that meningitis can affect any age group."

Now that he is retired, he is doing his best to get this message across to as many people as possible.

He has done work for the Meningitis Trust, fund-raising and giving talks about the illness, as well as counselling other people affected by meningitis.

He still believes that both the public and medical workers are not as aware as they should be about meningitis - and feels the Government should be doing more to help.

"The trust raised £3.8m last year," he said. "Only £100,000 of that came from the Government.

"It takes tragedies to highlight the problem. Since working with the trust, I've learnt and seen the most tragic things."

One particular experience has stuck in Mr Rutter's mind above all others.

"Last Christmas, I was at Gloucester Cathedral raising funds for the trust," he said. "There was a dear little girl there, about two years old, who was going about on the stumps of her legs. She had lost both her legs from meningitis."

After his own experience of the illness, and the work he has done for the trust, Mr Rutter was shocked and upset to hear of another fatal case so close to home.

"I was terribly shocked that it had struck again," he said. "I know exactly the trauma that the poor parents are suffering now.

"I feel deeply sorry for them. At 58, I'd had a fair chance at life, but at that age, she hadn't."

'It takes tragedies to highlight the problem'