James, who works as a Supervisor for Transport and Waste at the hospital, said: “I messaged Eddie to say I was outside but I got no response. I tried calling but there was no answer. I drove to work but something just didn’t feel right. Eddie is extremely hard-working and even if he isn’t feeling well he always lets me know as quickly as he can.
“I messaged him a few more times while I was at work but I didn’t get a reply so I decided to drive to his house again and do a welfare check. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I remembered he’d said to me once that his partner worked at a bakery in Rainham, so I drove there to let her know that I was worried about him.”
Shortly after arriving back at work James received a call from Elaine saying she had gone home and found Eddie in bed and unresponsive. He was taken by ambulance to Medway Maritime Hospital where tests revealed he had meningitis.
Meningitis can cause life-threatening sepsis and result in permanent damage to the brain or nerves if not treated quickly. But thanks to James raising the alarm and Elaine finding him, Eddie has gone on to make a full recovery, even returning to work four weeks and one day after he was found severely unwell.
