I contracted bacterial meningitis my freshman year in college.
It was the last day of school and I had slept over in one of my friend's rooms and was going to help her move out the next day for Christmas break. After I got home in the morning the symptoms started; they didn't cease until I was in the hospital at around 2:00 am that next morning in a coma.
I was hospitalized for about 11 days but luckily came out with no after effects. I know today that I am very very lucky to not have anything wrong with me, but I know that I'm even luckier just to be alive.
It really made me see how much there is to life and most of us don't know it until we're in a situation when we could easily lose it to a simple strain of bacteria.
Today I'm a junior at the same university and have been trying to educate fellow students and others on just how careful we have to be with our bodies.
