Meningitis Now survivors statues at Chelsea Flower Show
- Published
Meningitis survivor Louise Greer has a scan in preparation for a statue to be made
Four young meningitis survivors will be portrayed as statues in a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Charity Meningitis Now is creating a Futures Garden inspired by the bravery of families affected by the disease.
Liam Doyle, Jacob Gray, Louise Greer and Lauren Booth have had full body scans so that life-size sculptures can be made from laminated cedar wood.
The charity, which is celebrating its 30th year, said the garden championed survivors' courage and determination.
The group of four visited a studio in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, where they were scanned into computer-aided designs (Cad).
The sculptures "travel" across the garden, hitting the first wall and climbing over the next, depicting lives changed, lost and a life different to the one expected
Liam Doyle watches his scan being turned into a 3D image
Lauren Booth strikes a pose while being scanned for a statue
Lauren Booth narrowly missed out on beating the current world record, which stands at 13.551 seconds.
Lauren Booth, 14, from Wiltshire, was just six weeks old when she contracted meningitis. The disease left her with brain damage, hearing loss in one ear and cerebral palsy.
When she was four, Meningitis Now bought her a special trike and in November she clinched a new British Para Cycling record.
Her mother, Lisa-Jayne, said she had come "such a long way".
Louise Greer said: "I went to get my first set of artificial legs so I could walk and play with the other children"
Louise Greer, 18, from Hartpury, Gloucestershire, visits schools to raise awareness and also fundraises for the charity.
She was diagnosed with meningitis when she was two-and-a-half after collapsing at home. Doctors had to amputate both legs through the knee, part of her left arm and parts of her fingers.
Liam Doyle has had meningitis three times
Liam, five, from Earlswood, Solihull, caught bacterial meningitis in July 2010 at just seven weeks old and went on to contract it twice more.
The son of ex-Birmingham City goalkeeper Colin Doyle now suffers deafness, epilepsy and ataxia.
Jacob Gray said: "The medical team told my family my chances of survival were less than 10% and with that, they expected lifelong mental disability"
Jacob Gray, 22, from Poulton Le Fylde, Lancashire, caught meningitis in January 2013 and spent more than a year in hospital - opting to have his legs amputated in February 2014.
"I've recently taken my first wobbly steps on my prosthetic legs and my girlfriend, Summer, said 'yes' when I asked her to marry me last month, so life is looking good at last," he said.