At just six months old, Tahlea Dalgety was flown from Geraldton to Perth with a slim chance of survival after contracting meningococcal disease.
Her mother Chelsea Perrin was told to say goodbye to her beautiful baby girl, but when Tahlea made it through the first critical 48 hours, she thought life would quickly get back to normal for the young family.
“It was October 2018, and I had no idea what lay ahead – I naively thought we would soon be heading home, celebrating Christmas and enjoying the summer holidays,” Ms Perrin said.
“The doctors had to sit me down and explain the road ahead, which ended up being three weeks in the ICU, followed by 162 days on the general ward, and then years of surgeries and skin grafts.
“Returning home to Geraldton wasn’t an option, so we had to relocate to Perth permanently to manage Tahlea’s ongoing medical support.”
While Tahlea’s fight against meningococcal left her with amputated fingers and toes, scarring to 80 per cent of her body, epilepsy and a brain injury that means she is unable to talk, walk or swallow on her own – she hasn’t let it dampen her bright and cheeky spirit.
Now aged seven, Tahlea enjoys attending her local primary school and loves taking part in dance competitions alongside her big sister Ava.
Ms Perrin said the introduction of the combination vaccine to the National Immunisation Program would be a game-changer for families.
“Meningococcal is not a game, and it doesn’t discriminate – every child deserves full protection against this terrifying disease and I’m so thankful this research will make that possible.”