A TALENTED young Bendigo footballer has told how it took only a few hours for a nagging headache to become a life and death battle with meningitis.
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Bendigo Pioneer Liam Collins was to have spent the next six months leading his team through a TAC Cup season as co-captain but will now focus on regaining his health.
Collins woke with a nagging headache on March 17.
As the day went on he became listless and lapsed into a state of what he described as 'out of it'.
Liam's deteriorating condition saw his family call an ambulance to their Kangaroo Flat home and he was rushed to Bendigo Health.
His mother Colleen said the days following were a "horrid" experience.
Liam was examined by 12 doctors and medical staff at Bendigo Health as mystery surrounded the cause of his rapidly declining health.
"Not knowing what was wrong was incredibly scary,'' Colleen said.
"It was touch-and-go there for a while."
Doctors placed Liam in an induced coma as they worked to identify the cause of his sudden illness.
By next morning meningitis had been diagnosed as the cause of his illness.
"The paramedics, doctors and nurses in emergency and then in ICU were amazing," Colleen said.
Two days after being rushed to hospital, Liam was brought out of his coma so doctors could evaluate his senses.
It was a case of squeeze the doctor's hand if he could hear voices.
Another instruction was to not squeeze a hand if he still had a headache.
Liam did not squeeze the doctor's hand.
By Friday morning he was on the medical ward.
Liam said the support from family - parents Murray and Colleen, and siblings Mitch 22, Darcie 20, and Taylor 14 - had been incredible.
"It's been a really tough couple of weeks for them," he said.
Colleen was quick to thank neighbours and friends from various football-netball clubs for supporting the family with well wishes and food.
Liam remembers little of the meningitis battle but has gained a greater understanding of what went on by reading a patient diary kept during his time in the Intensive Care Unit and then on the ward.
The 17-year-old has been resting since returning home but travelled to Benalla with his dad on Saturday to watch the Pioneers play the Murray Bushrangers.
It's a step-by-step approach, but Liam has already done a couple of physio sessions and hopes to be back playing with his club team YCW in the Loddon Valley Football and Netball League within six weeks.
Other than a "droopy eye'' doctors say will correct itself in time, Liam has few side-effects from his health battle.
He has lost some kilograms and muscle tone built up during the Pioneers pre-season.
The Bendigo Senior Secondary College year 12 student said the support of friends and team-mates had meant a lot during his health scare.
"The goal is to be back training in a month or six weeks," he said.
"A lot will depend on advice from the doctor and the physios.''
It's the second straight season Liam has suffered a football setback with a broken left wrist sustained playing for Kangaroo Flat seniors seeing him miss many games in 2014.
"Last year's injury was frustrating, but this scare puts everything in perspective," he said.