Millie Franks-McDonald, her uncle Owen Franks, mum Kate Franks, dad Sam McDonald and the Bledisloe Cup. Photo / Supplied
Millie McDonald - the niece of All Black brothers Ben and Owen Franks - is one tough cookie, just like her uncles.
Today she’s a happy and sprightly 5-year-old.
But at 9 months old, a misdiagnosis almost had fatal consequences for the Canterbury toddler, and the Franks and McDonald whānau.
That’s why Millie’s mum Kate Franks, the youngest of the three Franks siblings, is speaking out about meningitis and how deadly it is.
Franks said had she not acted on her gut instinct to get Millie to Accident and Emergency and ignore the chicken pox diagnosis, there would have been a different outcome.
“Trust your gut and trust your intuition,” Franks told the Herald.
“I’m glad I did, for mine and Millie’s sake.
“Nothing trumps your intuition or gut feeling and you have to go with it.”
Franks’ warning comes on the back of concern that meningococcal disease cases will continue to climb this year, after increasing over the last two years in New Zealand, according to the University of Auckland Professor Helen Petousis-Harris.
Pacific and Māori children have three to five times the rate of meningococcal disease than other children.
The latest research by New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute shows cases jumped in 2022 by more than 50 per cent, compared to 2021.
Franks recalled that night in 2018 when her world was turned upside down after Millie developed cold-like symptoms.
“Millie’s dad had just gone to the West Coast for work so it was just me and Millie at home. The night Millie was unsettled, didn’t want to be put down, and had a temp,” Franks said.
“I made a doctor’s appointment as Millie still had a high temperature, wasn’t eating solids, and generally wasn’t the happy-go-lucky babe we knew.”
The GP thought Millie had a viral cold, and advised her to keep Millie hydrated but come back if her health deteriorated. Two hours later they were back at the doctor after Millie developed a rash.
“We were seen straight away by a nurse who pushed on her rash and checked her temp. Millie perked up at the doctors giving her smiles and clapping her hands. They suggested chicken pox and we were sent home,” she said.
Franks said she still had a niggling feeling that Millie was not right.
“At this point, I always get so upset because this is the moment we should have been taken to hospital.
“Meningitis never even crossed my mind. If I had some knowledge about meningitis and knew even half of the signs, I would have just driven her to the hospital myself. I drove home trying to carry on with a very upset wee babe.”
Not convinced, Franks sent a photo of Millie’s rash to a friend whose baby had recently had chicken pox.
“I asked my friend if this is what they looked like, and she said, “no, not really”.
Soon after Millie began vomiting.
“I rang my parents-in-law to let them know I was taking Millie to the after-hours urgent care. I picked them up on the way.”
Upon arrival at the after-hours, the GP saw the rash and called an ambulance. Millie was rushed into a private room in emergency where a handful of doctors hooked her up to heart rate and blood pressure machines.
“Her temperature was 43 and her heart was racing and she started shaking,” Franks said.
“They tried to get blood out of her arms and legs and Millie was going in and out of consciousness and was classed as septic.
“I still vividly remember Millie’s eyes as she would come to, staring so widely at me for help as they poked and prodded to try to get some blood.
“I have never felt so panicked. This moment felt like a lifetime. With every failed attempt I could have screamed. There were so many medical staff in our room.
“At this point, I could feel the worry. I felt sick, I just wanted to pick my baby girl up and run.
“A doctor came in and explained they couldn’t get a vein to administer antibiotics and Millie was deteriorating, so they were going to drill into her shinbone to administer three different strong antibiotics. They couldn’t take any blood samples to know what type of meningitis Millie had, so they made an educated guess as to what meningitis she might have.”
Franks said the next conversation she had is one she will never forget.
“The room emptied and the councillor and the doctor from ED came through and said we are not going to sugarcoat this. This can go two ways. Your child is either going to die in the next few hours or she is going to respond and we will see what that looks like for Millie,” Franks said.
“It was like an out-of-body experience, like being in a terrible movie. I kept thinking this isn’t right and it is not happening. I just wanted to pick Millie up and run.
“My partner was driving back from the West Coast and they advised me to ring family to come to say goodbye to Millie.”
Fortunately, after a few hours, the antibiotics kicked in and Millie’s health improved.
“I felt so much relief, but I was also so uneducated. I thought that now she has antibiotics she would be out of the woods,” Franks said.
“Hours into treatment, Millie started to show signs of improvement. The nurse said that her vital signs where improving. It was good news, all her stats were starting to show some improvement, and she was opening her eyes. Her face was so puffy from all the IVs she had throughout the night.”
But Millie wasn’t out of the woods yet. The doctors had to do a lumbar puncture and take more bloods to grow the bacteria to determine what strain of meningitis she had.
Franks was told Millie could lose her hearing - which never eventuated.
One health effect though was Millie’s growth was stalled for a year as her body recovered from the traumatic health event.
“We were so incredibly lucky to leave hospital with our baby girl with no life-long effects. We felt so lucky to have such a wonderful family supporting us the whole time. It was a sense of relief to be home, but that night my mind began to wander,” Franks said.
“Millie was so incredibly lucky to walk away with only a very minor setback of growth as a baby. She stopped growing or putting on any weight for about eight months. The doctors explained when your body is healing and it is taking up a lot of energy it shuts off other areas that are unneeded and puts its focus on what’s needed most, and that was her immunity.”
Franks hopes by telling her story, it will help others make good decisions for their children.
Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter and news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and, prior to joining NZME, worked for 12 years for Te Whānau o Waipareira.
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