Nova, Taylor Dougan’s five-month-old daughter, was showing signs of what they originally thought was teething.

Nova hadn’t eaten for 13 hours & started vomiting, was jaundiced and was in a “sleep-like coma,” according to her mom. They took Nova to the doctor who said she had gastroenteritis or the stomach flu – and the family was told to go home and wait it out. But Nova’s health only declined after that. She began to have seizures so she was rushed to the emergency department at Victoria General Hospital where they found out she had meningococcal meningitis – a serious infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Dougan from a Greater Vancouver Island said she is relieved her daughter is alive and urges parents to trust their instincts and not hesitate to take their children to the hospital if they are worried about their health.

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