WHEN Adam Prewer heard his infant son was being treated for suspected meningitis, his world turned upside down.

He said: “When you hear that word your heart sinks, you feel helpless and pray everything goes well.”

Six-week-old Finnley was rushed to Banbury’s Horton Hospital last December after Mr Prewer and wife Sandra noticed he was pale and drowsy.

Luckily, Finnley had viral meningitis, which is more common and less severe than bacterial meningitis.

But the experience brought home to the Prewers the vital work of the hospital’s children’s unit and they wanted to give something back. Now Mr Prewer, with the help of his employer, estate agent Stanbra Powell, has raised £2,500 for the unit through a charity golf day.

He said: “Only afterwards you realise contracting meningitis could have had a horrendous ending.”

The Middleton Cheney couple, pictured above with Finnley, now 10 months old and fully recovered, and three-year-old Dylan, took Finnley to the hospital after noticing something was wrong when they were bathing him.

Mr Prewer said: “Within about 20 minutes drips were going into him. It was amazing how quickly it happened.”

He added that the hospital staff had been “superb”.