Keeleigh Goodwin was so sick she blacked out and fell unconscious on her bathroom floor
Husna Anjum Senior Reporter and Hedi Mehrez
08:07, 25 Mar 2026Updated 09:12, 25 Mar 2026
Keeleigh Goodwin revealed how she collapsed and was rushed to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford(Image: Kent Live)
A student who survived meningitis B who is trying to adjust to normal life again has recalled ‘blacking out’ while she was sick. Keeleigh Goodwin, 21, mistook her symptoms for Covid or the flu until she realised the horrifying truth.
Keeleigh had been out in Canterbury on March 12 at Club Chemistry but was left in isolation after suffering a seizure, with doctors later confirming she had bacterial meningitis, KentLive reports.
She described how her symptoms quickly escalated from body aches and fever to intense pain, sickness, and eventually blacking out in her bathroom.
The student told KentLive: “On Friday (March 13) I just sort of woke up and I was quite achy all over my body – around my arms, my shoulders and my legs.”
The McDonald’s employee said she had a week off and thought she had “pulled a muscle at work”.
She added: “Later on at night when I was trying to sleep, I was just in a lot of pain in my whole body, and just literally sweating the whole night.
“I woke up on Saturday and I was sick all day. I had a really bad headache and I thought perhaps I just had Covid, perhaps I just got the flu.
Keeleigh (pictured) initially thought she had Covid(Image: Supplied)
“I didn’t think it was meningitis because I didn’t hear anything in the news about it. It just progressively got worse and worse. I just stayed in bed all day.”
She said that later in the evening, she had gone to the toilet and, on her way back to the room, started to feel dizzy and then blacked out. She remembered hitting her head and said she was left unconscious on the floor before her flatmate called an ambulance.
She added: “The next day I found out I had a seizure from it [meningitis]. I was tested and treated; they did a lumbar puncture and the results came back confirming bacterial meningitis.”
Keeleigh said she is grateful her flatmate found her shortly after she fell unconscious, adding: “It could have been so different, or if it happened in my sleep. Because I was found, it got treated quicker.”
As of 12.30pm on March 23, 20 laboratory cases were confirmed and three remain under investigation, bringing the total to 23. Two people died after contracting the illness, including Year 13 student Juliette Kenny in Faversham and a student at the University of Kent.
UKHSA has thanked local officials for helping combat the outbreak(Image: PA)
The majority of outbreak cases have been found to have “an epidemiological link” with Club Chemistry in Canterbury, a UKHSA report revealed. Keeleigh said she visited the club on March 12, but out of her two friends, she was the only one who fell ill.
After mentioning that she had shared her vape with a friend, there was speculation about the spread, but Keeleigh said, “I don’t think it’s from that, because my friend, with whom I shared the vape, has been fine.
“I can only assume that you’re in a club, it’s crowded with people coughing, sneezing – it could have been anything.
“It could have been touching something that someone touched who’s infected, like a surface. I think they’ve been quick to blame the vape.”
Despite loving the club, Keeleigh said she is not in a rush to return anytime soon. While she wouldn’t rule it out completely, she said she would be very ‘wary about getting something like this again’.
“I’m a bit scared about going to work because I work in hospitality and I serve people all day,” she said. “I hope I can get vaccinated soon, but it’s like a whole issue at the moment because I’m eligible, but obviously I’m still expected to queue up.
“At the moment, my body – I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it because I’m struggling to just walk and stand at home. My legs are still in a lot of pain. But my mum’s trying to sort it out with people and see what can be done.
“I am apprehensive about getting back out into the world.”
Keeleigh was discharged from William Harvey Hospital on Saturday (March 21) and is recovering at her mum’s in Herne Bay. Keeleigh said she hasn’t been told if there will be any follow-up checks, and so far she hasn’t noticed major lasting effects.
She did, however, mention changes to her hearing, saying she is more sensitive to sounds. Her mum Khali Goodwin said she is relieved to have her daughter home.
The 39-year-old mum-of-six, from Herne Bay, told KentLive: “It’s a massive relief, I feel I can finally relax a bit now knowing she’s home and safe. I am still feeling anxious of what happened and how it did but I guess it’s still pretty fresh and raw.
“I’m extremely grateful for everyone’s support. The next step is to get Keeleigh vaccinated as soon as possible.”
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