Footy great Tom Harley warns parents about illness that almost claimed the life of his five-week-old son

Swans CEO and former football star Tom Harley has spoken openly about his son’s battle with meningococcal disease, urging parents to talk to their doctors about the deadly infection.

Harley’s son Hugo defied all odds to survive meningococcal B, an infectious disease that kills one in 10 people diagnosed with the disease, after the bacteria made its way to his spinal cord and brain.

Experts warn the disease is likely to get worse in the coming months. Harley and his wife Felicity urge parents to remain vigilant.

“I can still remember driving my incredibly sick baby to the hospital and not knowing if he would survive,” he said

‘Acting quickly at the first symptoms could have saved his life.’

‘Looking back, I realise that I didn’t know enough about meningococcal disease and I didn’t have much information about the different strains of meningococcus and the different symptoms until my own baby was admitted to hospital.

‘I wish I had been aware of all the symptoms, the different types of meningococcal bacteria circulating in Australia and the speed at which this infection can develop.’

“I would encourage all parents to talk to their doctor about how they can reduce the risks for their family and not to hesitate if they suspect meningococcal disease is present,” Harley said.

Tom Harley has opened up about his son’s terrifying battle with meningococcal disease

Harley (pictured with his family) says he wishes he had known about all the symptoms

Ms Harley told Ny Breaking Australia shortly afterwards that she knew something was wrong with her son.

“It’s so hard to tell with a five-week-old baby. I think ultimately it was my mom’s intuition because he was breathing fine, but I knew something wasn’t right,” Harley said.

“I had just had tonsillitis and kept telling myself it was just a cold, but when we got to the hospital we were referred straight away,” she added.

Mrs Harley and her husband had to watch as young Hugo underwent painful tests, including a lumbar puncture, with unusual results.

“I’ll never forget the doctor coming in and saying, ‘He has a very high white blood cell count, we think this could be very serious,’” she said.

The Harleys encourage all parents to talk to their doctor about the risks

Mrs Harley said she went through hell as she waited for test results to confirm whether he had meningococcal disease.

“We had no idea what we were going to get into. The effects can be quite severe, from neurological damage to seizures or death.

‘We could have had a child with learning difficulties or an intellectual disability. Your thoughts are all over the place when you walk through the hospital wards.’