JUST months after paramedics saved his life at a motorway service station near Chippenham, an outdoor enthusiast is taking on a brave sea expedition.

Toby Carr, 36 from London fell ill with pneumococcal meningitis whilst driving eastbound on the M4 in Wiltshire on New Year’s Day. His condition was life-threatening, and he needed urgent medical treatment.

He was treated at Leigh Delamere services by South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust paramedics Jan Lukas and Paul Murphy, preventing the serious-long term effects of the illness from taking hold.

At the time of the emergency Mr Carr had an impaired immune system following a bone marrow transplant. But the actual cause of the infection remains unclear.

He began feeling whilst travelling back from visiting friends in the Wye Valley. He experienced sickness and headaches at the wheel, but managed to reach the service station.

A friend dialled 999 and paramedics arrived to find Mr Carr barely conscious.

They inserted a small tube into one of his veins and administered antibiotics before taking him by ambulance to the Great Western Hospital in Swindon where he remained for almost two weeks.

He has gone on to make a full recovery, and is making final preparations to paddle a sea kayak to all 31 locations of the Shipping Forecast on Monday, May 28.

"The paramedics not only saved my life, but managed to check on me in hospital afterwards," Mr Carr commented. "This show of care and compassion for a stranger in need was amazing and has touched me deeply.

"I can't thank them enough for what they did for me, I'm so happy to be alive.

A friend said to me: ‘There’s nothing like surviving a near-death experience to make you feel alive.’ I have a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm for life. I want to make the most of it, pushing myself, and having experiences I never thought possible.”

Pneumococcal meningitis is a serious infectious disease that causes inflammation of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can cause life-threatening blood poisoning and result in permanent damage to the brain or nerves.

There are around 200 reported cases of pneumococcal meningitis each year in the UK. Around a quarter of patients have severe and disabling after-effects and one in six cases result in death. But most people make a good recovery.

The condition requires rapid admission to hospital and urgent treatment with antibiotics.

Paramedic Jan, said: “We would advise people to be aware of the symptoms including headaches, light sensitivity, vomiting, a non-fading rash, and altered consciousness. There is a particular risk to children and people with compromised immunity as meningitis is very infectious.”

If you are concerned that you may have meningitis, call 999 for an ambulance or go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department.