Police officer running marathon in tribute to his wife (From Warrington Guardian)
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Police officer running marathon in tribute to his wife
5:00pm Friday 25th January 2013 in News
Andy Blizard
A WARRINGTON police officer is running his first marathon in tribute to his wife who as a 17-year-old lost her toddler son to meningitis.
Appleton resident Andy Blizard, aged 29, who serves as a detective constable with Cheshire Police, will run the London marathon on April 21 for Meningitis UK.
As a teenager wife Kerry-Anne, aged 33, lost son, 18-month-old Daniel, to the disease in 1996.
Andy said: “The furthest I’ve ever run is three miles so it will be a good challenge.
“I have always thought about trying to do it.
“Kerry said stop talking about it and do it, so I applied.”
Kerry-Anne, who is also a police officer on the Dedicated Rape Unit, described how she did not know her son had meningitis until it was too late.
She said: “It came on very quickly.
“He just started having convulsions and was rushed to hospital.
“He didn’t show any signs, or have a rash “They did some checks on him and overnight the rash started to come through.
“By 9am the next morning they needed to transfer him but he didn’t make it.”
The disease meant Daniel’s organs were failing, and he could not be given antibiotics.
“It was really fast,” said Kerry-Anne.
“The main thing was he didn’t have the rash and everyone thinks the rash is what you look out for.
“I just thought he had a chest infection or a virus.
“When they were transferring him the ambulance had to stop to give him emergency treatment.
“I was told not to follow the ambulance but to go to Pendlebury Hospital and wait.
“When I saw all the doctors and nurses rushing out to the ambulance I knew something was wrong - he had died on the way.”
The couple are now aiming to raise as much as possible for Meningitis UK with a target of £1,500.
They have £600 collected so far and are hosting a charity night at Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub on Saturday, February 23 There will be live music, auction and raffle. It starts at 7pm.
Tickets are £5 and can be ordered by e-mailing andyblizard@gmail.com.
