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	An Irish mother who lost her six-month-old son to meningitis has spoken out about the tragedy.</p>
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	Margaret Smith from Wexford and her husband Robert were thrilled when they welcomed two healthy baby boys into the world.</p>
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	&quot;I came quite late to motherhood. I was 43 when I had my first baby [Miche&aacute;l] and I was 45 when I was pregnant with Ruair&iacute;,&quot; said Margaret, who was speaking ahead of World Meningitis Day on April 24.</p>
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	The family were delighted when Ruair&iacute; arrived in May 2012. Ahead of her return to work after maternity leave, Ms Smith placed Ruair&iacute; into a local cr&egrave;che.</p>
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	On November 22, 2012, Margaret received a call from the cr&egrave;che to say Ruair&iacute; was feeling unwell. The couple&#39;s eldest son Miche&aacute;l had recently been ill with chicken pox and Margaret believed Ruair&iacute; might have come down with the virus.</p>
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	Ruair&iacute; was taken to A&amp;E in Wexford General where he was placed on IV fluids and anti-viral drugs.</p>
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	&quot;His CT scans and blood work were all clear. They couldn&#39;t find anything wrong,&quot; she said.</p>
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	As the evening progressed, however, six-month-old Ruair&iacute;&#39;s condition declined rapidly.</p>
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	It was decided he needed specialist care in Temple Street&#39;s Intensive Care Unit, and he was rushed to Dublin in an ambulance. A CT scan revealed swelling on his brain, and attempts to alleviate this pressure were unsuccessful. Just 24 hours after dropping their baby to cr&egrave;che, Ruair&iacute;&#39;s parents were told their son was &quot;clinically gone&quot; and would never recover.</p>
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	&quot;It&#39;s incredible because one morning you&#39;re just doing normal things like getting the kids out the door to cr&egrave;che and the next you&#39;re looking at your baby on a life-support machine,&quot; she said.</p>
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	&quot;You&#39;re looking at his little chest moving up and down ... but he&#39;s gone. You just are thinking, &#39;This can not be real&#39;.&quot;</p>
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	It was later established that Ruair&iacute; had died after a battle with pneumococcal meningitis.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Independent on the 7th April 2017)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/just-24-hours-after-leaving-toddler-ruair-at-crche-he-was-gone-35601968.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/just-24-hours-after-leaving-toddler-ruair-at-crche-he-was-gone-35601968.html</a></p>
